Sphincter Pharyngoplasty for Velopharyngeal Dysfunction

2019 ◽  
pp. 535-540
Author(s):  
Donald S. Mowlds ◽  
Raj M. Vyas

The surgical correction of velopharyngeal insufficiency (VPI) seeks to augment the deficient aspect of the velopharyngeal apparatus. The objective of the sphincter pharyngoplasty is to narrow the velopharyngeal gap transversely by addressing lateral pharyngeal wall motion. Superiorly based lateral palatopharyngeus myomucosal flaps are transposed 90 degrees and inset into the posterior pharyngeal wall mucosa. Following sphincter pharyngoplasty, the patient is monitored overnight for impending airway compromise. If symptomatic VPI persists, repeat diagnostic evaluation is performed. Success is determined by acceptable perceptual oral resonance, adequate velopharyngeal closure on endoscopy, and the absence of upper airway obstruction or sleep apnea.

2019 ◽  
Vol 45 (4) ◽  
Author(s):  
Ula Lindoso Passos ◽  
Pedro Rodrigues Genta ◽  
Bianca Fernandes Marcondes ◽  
Geraldo Lorenzi-Filho ◽  
Eloisa Maria Mello Santiago Gebrim

ABSTRACT Objective: To determine whether airway narrowing during obstructive events occurs predominantly at the retropalatal level and results from dynamic changes in the lateral pharyngeal walls and in tongue position. Methods: We evaluated 11 patients with severe obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) and 7 healthy controls without OSA during wakefulness and during natural sleep (documented by full polysomnography). Using fast multidetector CT, we obtained images of the upper airway in the waking and sleep states. Results: Upper airway narrowing during sleep was significantly greater at the retropalatal level than at the retroglossal level in the OSA group (p < 0.001) and in the control group (p < 0.05). The retropalatal airway volume was smaller in the OSA group than in the control group during wakefulness (p < 0.05) and decreased significantly from wakefulness to sleep only among the OSA group subjects. Retropalatal pharyngeal narrowing was attributed to reductions in the anteroposterior diameter (p = 0.001) and lateral diameter (p = 0.006), which correlated with an increase in lateral pharyngeal wall volume (p = 0.001) and posterior displacement of the tongue (p = 0.001), respectively. Retroglossal pharyngeal narrowing during sleep did not occur in the OSA group subjects. Conclusions: In patients with OSA, upper airway narrowing during sleep occurs predominantly at the retropalatal level, affecting the anteroposterior and lateral dimensions, being associated with lateral pharyngeal wall enlargement and posterior tongue displacement.


2012 ◽  
Vol 112 (3) ◽  
pp. 403-410 ◽  
Author(s):  
Chien-Hung Chin ◽  
Jason P. Kirkness ◽  
Susheel P. Patil ◽  
Brian M. McGinley ◽  
Philip L. Smith ◽  
...  

Defective structural and neural upper airway properties both play a pivotal role in the pathogenesis of obstructive sleep apnea. A more favorable structural upper airway property [pharyngeal critical pressure under hypotonic conditions (passive Pcrit)] has been documented for women. However, the role of sex-related modulation in compensatory responses to upper airway obstruction (UAO), independent of the passive Pcrit, remains unclear. Obese apneic men and women underwent a standard polysomnography and physiological sleep studies to determine sleep apnea severity, passive Pcrit, and compensatory airflow and respiratory timing responses to prolonged periods of UAO. Sixty-two apneic men and women, pairwise matched by passive Pcrit, exhibited similar sleep apnea disease severity during rapid eye movement (REM) sleep, but women had markedly less severe disease during non-REM (NREM) sleep. By further matching men and women by body mass index and age ( n = 24), we found that the lower NREM disease susceptibility in women was associated with an approximately twofold increase in peak inspiratory airflow ( P = 0.003) and inspiratory duty cycle ( P = 0.017) in response to prolonged periods of UAO and an ∼20% lower minute ventilation during baseline unobstructed breathing (ventilatory demand) ( P = 0.027). Thus, during UAO, women compared with men had greater upper airway and respiratory timing responses and a lower ventilatory demand that may account for sex differences in sleep-disordered breathing severity during NREM sleep, independent of upper airway structural properties and sleep apnea severity during REM sleep.


1987 ◽  
Vol 101 (7) ◽  
pp. 749-752 ◽  
Author(s):  
C. Triaridis ◽  
M. G. Tsalighopoulos ◽  
A. Kouloulas ◽  
A. Vartholomeos

SummaryA rare case of a schwannoma localized on the posterior pharyngeal wall is presented. It concerns a young man with an inflammatory ulcerated mass in the posterior wall of the pharynx causing severe difficulty in swallowing.Although schwannomas of the lateral pharyngeal wall are common, only one case located on the posterior wall has been described. The origin of these tumours at this particular site is thought to be the sympathetic nervous plexus of the posterior pharyngeal wall.In presenting our case, we comment on the origin of posterior pharyngeal wall schwannomas.


2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ravi K. Garg ◽  
Delora L Mount

Cleft lip and palate are common congenital anomalies with significant implications for feeding, swallowing, and speech. If a cleft palate goes unrepaired, a child will have difficulty distinguishing nasal and oral sounds. Even following cleft palate repair, approximately 20 to 30% of nonsyndromic children have persistent hypernasal speech. This often occurs due to velopharyngeal dysfunction (VPD), a term describing failure of the soft palate and pharyngeal walls to seal the nasopharynx from the oropharynx during oral consonant production. The gold standard for diagnosis is perceptual examination by a trained speech pathologist, although additional diagnostic tools such as nasendoscopy are often used. Treatment options for VPD range from speech therapy to revision palatoplasty, sphincter pharyngoplasty, pharyngeal flap, and pharyngeal wall augmentation. Palatal prosthetics may also be considered for children who are not surgical candidates. Further research is needed to improve selection of diagnostic and treatment interventions and optimize speech outcomes for children with a history of oral cleft. This review contains 1 figure, 3 videos, and 58 references.  Key words: Cleft lip and palate, hypernasal resonance, levator veli palatine, nasal emission, nasendoscopy, palatoplasty, pharyngeal flap, posterior pharyngeal wall augmentation, sphincter pharyngoplasty, velopharyngeal dysfunction


1994 ◽  
Vol 31 (4) ◽  
pp. 287-294 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ravelo V. Argamaso ◽  
Gerald J. Levandowski ◽  
Karen J. Golding-Kushner ◽  
Robert J. Shprintzen

Twenty-two patients, with hypernasal speech and asymmetric velopharyngeal insufficiency (VPI) identified preoperatively by multi-view videofluoroscopy and nasopharyngoscopy, were managed with superiorly based pharyngeal flaps skewed to the side with reduced lateral pharyngeal wall movement. Patient age ranged from 5 to 58 years. The etiology of the VPI included cleft palate with or without cleft lip, neurogenic VPI, velocardiofacial syndrome, tumor resection or latrogenic causes, submucous cleft palate, neurofibromatosis, and hemifacial microsomia. Follow-up, at 1 year and thereafter, showed resolution of VPI in all but two patients. An auxiliary flap to augment the primary flap was added on the side of diminished lateral pharyngeal wall motion which corrected the residual VPI. Three patients developed hyponasality. One was a child whose symptoms improved with time and growth. Two were adults, but the hyponasal resonance was mild and required no further Intervention. The advantage of skewing flaps is that at least one port functions adequately for ease in respiration and for drainage of secretions, thus reducing the risk of nasal obstruction. One open port also allows access for nasoendotracheal intubation should anesthetic be required for future operations.


SLEEP ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 43 (Supplement_1) ◽  
pp. A474-A474
Author(s):  
Nishant Chaudhary ◽  
Mirna Ayache ◽  
John Carter

Abstract Introduction Positive airway pressure-induced upper airway obstruction has been reported with the treatment of obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) using continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) along with an oronasal interface. Here we describe a case of persistent treatment emergent central sleep apnea (TECSA) inadequately treated with adaptive servo ventilation (ASV), with an airflow pattern suggestive of ASV-induced upper airway obstruction. Report of Case A 32-year-old male, with severe OSA (apnea hypopnea index: 52.4) and no other significant past medical history, was treated with CPAP and required higher pressures during titration sleep studies to alleviate obstructive events, despite a Mallampati Class II airway and a normal body mass index. Drug-Induced Sleep Endoscopy (DISE) showed a complete velopharynx and oropharynx anterior posterior (AP) collapse, long soft palate, which improved with neck extension. CPAP therapy, however, did not result in any symptomatic benefit and compliance reports revealed high residual AHI and persistent TECSA. He underwent an ASV titration sleep study up to a final setting of expiratory positive airway pressure 9 cm H2O, pressure support 6-15 cm H2O (auto-rate), with a full-face mask due to high oral leak associated with the nasal interface. The ASV device detected central apneas and provided mandatory breaths, but did not capture the thorax or abdomen, despite normal mask pressure tracings. Several such apneas occurred, with significant oxyhemoglobin desaturation. Conclusion We postulate that the ASV failure to correct central sleep apnea as evidenced by the absence of thoracoabdominal inspiratory effort, occurred due to ASV-induced upper airway obstruction. Further treatment options for this ASV phenomenon are to pursue an ASV-assisted DISE and determine the effectiveness of adjunctive therapy including neck extension, nasal mask with a mouth closing device and a mandibular assist device.


2017 ◽  
Vol 2017 ◽  
pp. 1-4
Author(s):  
Adrian R. Bersabe ◽  
Joshua T. Romain ◽  
Erin E. Ezzell ◽  
John S. Renshaw

Chronic Lymphocytic Leukemia (CLL) is the most prevalent form of non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma (NHL) in Western countries predominantly affecting adults over the age of 65. CLL is commonly indolent in nature but can present locally and aggressively at extranodal sites. Although CLL may commonly present with cervical lymphadenopathy, manifestation in nonlymphoid regions of the head and neck is not well described. CLL causing upper airway obstruction is even more uncommon. We describe a case of a patient with known history of CLL and stable lymphocytosis that developed an enlarging lymphoid base of tongue (BOT) mass resulting in rapid airway compromise.


Author(s):  
Giovanni Cammaroto ◽  
Luigi Marco Stringa ◽  
Giannicola Iannella ◽  
Giuseppe Meccariello ◽  
Henry Zhang ◽  
...  

Background: Obstructive sleep apnea syndrome (OSAS) occurs due to upper airway obstruction resulting from anatomical and functional abnormalities. Upper airway collapsibility, particularly those involving the lateral pharyngeal wall (LPW), is known to be one of the main factors contributing to the pathogenesis of OSAS, leading the authors of the present study to propose different strategies in order to stiffen the pharyngeal walls to try to restore normal airflow. Methods: An exhaustive review of the English literature on lateral pharyngeal wall surgery for the treatment of OSAS was performed using the PubMed electronic database. Results: The research was performed in April 2020 and yielded approximately 2000 articles. However, considering the inclusion criteria, only 17 studies were included in the present study. Conclusions: The analyzed surgical techniques propose different parts of LPW on which to focus and a variable degree of invasivity. Despite the very promising results, no gold standard for the treatment of pharyngeal wall collapsibility has been proposed. However, thanks to progressive technological innovations and increasingly precise data analysis, the role of LPW surgery seems to be crucial in the treatment of OSAS patients.


2015 ◽  
Vol 125 (10) ◽  
pp. 2408-2412 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ming‐Chin Lan ◽  
Stanley Y. C. Liu ◽  
Ming‐Ying Lan ◽  
Rahul Modi ◽  
Robson Capasso

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