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Management of congenital buccopharyngeal membrane
J P Bent1, F N Klippert, R J Smith
1Division of Otolaryngology, Medical College of Georgia, Augusta 30912-4060, USA.
Objective:
To describe our experience in treating congenital buccopharyngeal membranes and reflect on lessons learned managing this rare anomaly.
Design:
Case series of two patients followed 3 and 6 years, respectively.
Setting:
Two different academic tertiary-care medical centers.
Patients:
Two patients with congenital buccopharyngeal membranes.
Intervention:
Multiple pharyngoplasties, including the use of lasers, rotated mucosal flaps, and oropharyngeal stents.
Results:
The first patient has had her tracheotomy removed, but she still uses a gastrostomy tube and has an expressive speech delay. The second patient can eat well but has persistent speech and airway problems, largely due to his micrognathia.
Conclusions:
Centrally dehiscent buccopharyngeal membranes are rare and require carefully planned treatment. Associated anomalies worsen the prognosis. We propose a set of recommendations to assist in the management of this difficult problem.