Correction of velopharyngeal insufficiency with furlow palatoplasty

W. H. Lindsey and P. T. Davis
McLeod Regional Medical Center of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery of the Pee Dee, Florence, SC.

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the authors' experience with Furlow palatoplasty for velopharyngeal insufficiency. DESIGN: Review of 8 cases over a 3-year period. SETTING: Regional private practice hospital affiliated with a teaching university. PATIENTS: Eight patients aged 4 to 14 years with symptoms and signs of velopharyngeal insufficiency underwent Furlow palatoplasty. Four patients had submucous or soft palate clefts without previous intervention. Four patients had undergone previous surgery for cleft palate. INTERVENTION: All patients underwent Furlow palatoplasty. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Fiberoptic nasopharyngeal examination and speech analysis. RESULTS: Seven of 8 patients exhibited good palate closure and marked improvement in speech. One patient exhibited good closure but had mild nasal emission and hypernasality, which responded to speech therapy after surgery. CONCLUSION: Furlow palatoplasty is a useful technique for the correction of velopharyngeal insufficiency in selected patients.