Velopharyngeal incompetence after adenotonsillectomy in non-cleft patients.
This report discusses 15 non-cleft palate children who developed velopharyngeal incompetence (VPI) after adenotonsillectomy. Eight boys and 7 girls with a mean age of 6.2 years (range 4.3-11 years) were treated between 1970 and 1993. After 2 years conservative management to allow for spontaneous resolution, only (7 children) 47% achieved normal resonance. Speech therapy was employed mainly for those patients with unrelated articulation errors. Fifty-three percent (8 children) required surgery for persistent hypernasality and in 6 a pharyngoplasty was performed and in one child a posterior pharyngeal cartilage graft was inserted. One case is still to have surgical intervention. Half of the non-cleft children who develop VPI after adenotonsillectomy will respond to conservative management.
Department of Plastic and Maxillo-facial Surgery & Logopaedics, Red Cross Children's Hospital and University of Cape Town, South Africa.
D B
DB
Fernandes
A O
AO
Grobbelaar
D A
DA
Hudson
R
R
Lentin
D000233:Adenoidectomy / Q000009:adverse effects*; D001184:Articulation Disorders / Q000209:etiology / Q000628:therapy; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D010614:Pharynx / Q000601:surgery; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D013070:Speech Therapy; D014068:Tonsillectomy / Q000009:adverse effects*; D016896:Treatment Outcome; D014681:Velopharyngeal Insufficiency / Q000209:etiology* / Q000628:therapy; D014833:Voice Quality