Treatment of velopharyngeal insufficiency by pharyngeal and velar fat injections

Otolaryngol Head Neck Surg. 2011 Sep;145(3):401-3. doi: 10.1177/0194599811411655. Epub 2011 Jun 2.

Abstract

The aim of this prospective study was to evaluate the effectiveness of fat injections in the treatment of velopharyngeal insufficiency (VPI). The study involved 10 patients (6 adults aged 19-48 years and 4 children aged 5-13 years) with mild/moderate VPI who were injected with 3.5 to 8 mL of fat in the posterior, lateral pharyngeal walls and soft palate under general anaesthesia. A second fat-grafting procedure was performed in 2 patients to achieve further improvement. Nasoendoscopy revealed a reduction in the closure gap in all patients, and the perceptual evaluation demonstrated improved speech intelligibility and resonance and reduced nasal air leakage in all cases (P < .005). The aerodynamic assessment showed a significant reduction in nasal airflow during phonation (P < .05). Follow-up was 6 to 23 months. In conclusion, fat injections improved voice resonance and reduced nasal air escape in all treated cases and can be a promising alternative to major procedures, such as velopharyngoplasties, for the treatment of mild/moderate VPI.

Publication types

  • Comparative Study
  • Evaluation Study

MeSH terms

  • Adipose Tissue / transplantation*
  • Adolescent
  • Adult
  • Child
  • Child, Preschool
  • Follow-Up Studies
  • Humans
  • Injections, Intralesional
  • Laryngoscopy / methods
  • Male
  • Middle Aged
  • Plastic Surgery Procedures / methods*
  • Prospective Studies
  • Risk Assessment
  • Severity of Illness Index
  • Statistics, Nonparametric
  • Tissue and Organ Harvesting
  • Treatment Outcome
  • Velopharyngeal Insufficiency / diagnosis*
  • Velopharyngeal Insufficiency / surgery*
  • Young Adult