Scientific article
OA Policy
English

Treatment of velopharyngeal insufficiency by autologous fat injection

Published inEuropean archives of oto-rhino-laryngology, vol. 267, no. 6, p. 977-983
Collection
  • Open Access - Licence nationale Springer
Publication date2010
Abstract

Velopharyngeal insufficiency (VPI) is a structural or functional trouble, which causes hypernasal speech. Velopharyngeal flaps, speech therapy and augmentation pharyngoplasty, using different implants, have all been used to address this trouble. We hereby present our results following rhinopharyngeal autologous fat injection in 18 patients with mild velopharyngeal insufficiency (12 soft palate clefts, 4 functional VPI, 2 myopathy). 28 injections were carried out between 2004 and 2007. The degree of hypernasal speech was evaluated pre- and postoperatively by a speech therapist and an ENT specialist and quantified by an acoustic nasometry (Kay Elemetrics). All patients were exhaustively treated with preoperative speech therapy (average, 8 years). The mean value of the nasalance score was 37% preoperatively and 23% postoperatively (p = 0.015). The hypernasality was reduced postoperatively in all patients (1-3 degrees of the Borel-Maisonny score). There were no major complications, two minor complications (one hematoma, one cervical pain). The autologous fat injection is a simple, safe, minimally invasive procedure. It proves to be efficient in cases of mild velopharyngeal insufficiency or after a suboptimal velopharyngoplasty.

Keywords
  • Adipose Tissue/*transplantation
  • Adolescent
  • Adult
  • Child
  • Cleft Palate/surgery
  • DiGeorge Syndrome/surgery
  • Female
  • Follow-Up Studies
  • Humans
  • Male
  • Middle Aged
  • Phonation/physiology
  • Postoperative Complications/etiology
  • Sound Spectrography
  • Speech Intelligibility
  • Velopharyngeal Insufficiency/etiology/*surgery
  • Voice Disorders/etiology/surgery
  • Voice Quality/physiology
  • Young Adult
Citation (ISO format)
LEUCHTER, Igor et al. Treatment of velopharyngeal insufficiency by autologous fat injection. In: European archives of oto-rhino-laryngology, 2010, vol. 267, n° 6, p. 977–983. doi: 10.1007/s00405-009-1157-7
Main files (1)
Article (Published version)
accessLevelPublic
Identifiers
Journal ISSN0937-4477
574views
296downloads

Technical informations

Creation23/05/2012 08:49:58
First validation23/05/2012 08:49:58
Update time14/03/2023 17:34:06
Status update14/03/2023 17:34:06
Last indexation29/10/2024 20:03:53
All rights reserved by Archive ouverte UNIGE and the University of GenevaunigeBlack