Posterior Pharyngeal Wall Augmentation with Fat Graft in Patients having Mild Velopharyngeal Insufficiency
Khalefa, M., Botros, R., Farah, N., Abdelmonem, A. (2025). Posterior Pharyngeal Wall Augmentation with Fat Graft in Patients having Mild Velopharyngeal Insufficiency. EKB Journal Management System, 6(2), 226-246. doi: 10.21608/ejmr.2024.311900.1666
Mahmoud Hassaan Khalefa; Ramez Reda Botros; Nora Maher Farah; Ahmed Ali Abdelmonem. "Posterior Pharyngeal Wall Augmentation with Fat Graft in Patients having Mild Velopharyngeal Insufficiency". EKB Journal Management System, 6, 2, 2025, 226-246. doi: 10.21608/ejmr.2024.311900.1666
Khalefa, M., Botros, R., Farah, N., Abdelmonem, A. (2025). 'Posterior Pharyngeal Wall Augmentation with Fat Graft in Patients having Mild Velopharyngeal Insufficiency', EKB Journal Management System, 6(2), pp. 226-246. doi: 10.21608/ejmr.2024.311900.1666
Khalefa, M., Botros, R., Farah, N., Abdelmonem, A. Posterior Pharyngeal Wall Augmentation with Fat Graft in Patients having Mild Velopharyngeal Insufficiency. EKB Journal Management System, 2025; 6(2): 226-246. doi: 10.21608/ejmr.2024.311900.1666

Posterior Pharyngeal Wall Augmentation with Fat Graft in Patients having Mild Velopharyngeal Insufficiency

Egyptian Journal of Medical Research
Volume 6, Issue 2, April 2025, Pages 226-246    PDF (547.21 K)
Document Type: Original Article
DOI: 10.21608/ejmr.2024.311900.1666
Authors
Mahmoud Hassaan Khalefa1; Ramez Reda Botros1; Nora Maher Farah* 2; Ahmed Ali Abdelmonem3
1Otorhinolaryngology department, Faculty of Medicine, Beni-Suef University, Beni-Suef 62511, Egypt
2Otorhinolaryngology department, Beni-Suef Specialized hospital, Beni-Suef 62511, Egypt
3Phoniatrics department, Faculty of Medicine, Beni-Suef University, Beni-Suef 62511, Egypt
Abstract
Background: The velopharynx functional and structural integrity is essential for the production of normal speech resonance. The velopharynx is a dynamic and intricate structure that serves as a barrier between the oral and nasal cavities through the production of sound. Hyper-nasality, nasal escape, and compensatory errors are all consequences of anatomical abnormalities of the velopharyngeal (VP) valve (VP in-sufficiency = VPI), which collectively diminish speech intelligibility.  Aim of the Work: To assess the outcome and the posterior pharyngeal wall augmentation complications the with fat graft in patients having mild VP insufficiency. Patients and Methods: A single-arm clinical trial was conducted on 20 patients with mild VPI. They were treated with the posterior pharyngeal wall augmentation with autologous fat injection at a tertiary hospital. The study started from December 2022 till March 2024.  Results: There was a significant development in the open nasality degree, consonants imprecision, audible nasal air emission, overall intelligibility, facial grimace, closure of the gap, distorted vowels, A/E and Cold Mirror tests after the operation in seventeen patients, and three patients did not improve. All patients did not have any complications from the operation. Conclusion: Our study reported that augmenting the posterior pharyngeal wall with fat graft is effective in the management of hypernasality in mild VP gap patients. This method has a minimal complication rate due to autologous tissue application.
Keywords
Posterior Pharyngeal Wall; Velopharyngeal Insufficiency; Dermal Fat Graft
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