Flashcards on Velopharyngeal Dysfunction: Diagnosis and Treatment

Velopharyngeal Dysfunction: Diagnosis and Treatment Guide

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What is the main goal when insetting flaps in sphincter pharyngoplasty?

To inset the flaps high on the posterior pharyngeal wall at the site of attempted velopharyngeal closure as determined by preoperative imaging.

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Velopharyngeal surgery techniques

54 cards

Card 1

Question: What is the main goal when insetting flaps in sphincter pharyngoplasty?

Answer: To inset the flaps high on the posterior pharyngeal wall at the site of attempted velopharyngeal closure as determined by preoperative imaging.

Card 2

Question: Which anatomical factor(s) may be essential for achieving postoperative velopharyngeal competence besides a dynamic sphincter?

Answer: Reduced velopharyngeal port size and augmentation of the posterior pharyngeal wall.

Card 3

Question: What operative mistake was most commonly associated with surgical failure after sphincter pharyngoplasty?

Answer: Placing the pharyngoplasty too low on the posterior pharyngeal wall.

Card 4

Question: What did Orticochea emphasize as necessary to achieve velopharyngeal competence with sphincter pharyngoplasty?

Answer: Creating a true "dynamic sphincter" by dissecting bilateral palatopharyngeal myomucosal flaps and insetting them into an inferiorly based posterior ph

Card 5

Question: How did Jackson and Silverton modify Orticochea’s original sphincter pharyngoplasty?

Answer: They eliminated the posterior pharyngeal flap and inset the palatopharyngeal flaps into a transverse incision located higher on the posterior pharynge

Card 6

Question: Describe the widely used modification of Hynes pharyngoplasty technique for creating palatopharyngeal flaps.

Answer: Make vertical incisions anterior to both posterior tonsillar pillars to expose palatopharyngeus muscles, dissect longitudinal muscle fibers from the p

Card 7

Question: What are the key surgical planning considerations stressed by Riski et al. for optimizing sphincter pharyngoplasty outcomes?

Answer: Preoperative patient selection and proper surgical planning, including using preoperative imaging to determine the site for high flap inset.

Card 8

Question: What speech outcomes have been reported after sphincter pharyngoplasty in retrospective series?

Answer: Shewmake et al. reported 85.4% achieved normal resonance in 48 patients; Riski et al. reported 78% showed resolution of hypernasality and normal press

Card 9

Question: What proportion of patients required revision after sphincter pharyngoplasty in Witt et al.’s series, and what was a noted cause of failure?

Answer: 16% required pharyngoplasty revision; a noted cause of failure was incomplete closure of the velopharyngeal port and the use of bulky, often contracti

Card 10

Question: What is the primary purpose of lateral relaxing incisions during velopharyngeal surgery closures?

Answer: To achieve a tension-free closure when primary closure would be under tension.