Obstructive Sleep Apnea Secondary to Pharyngeal Narrowing From Horizontal Donor Site Closure During Posterior Pharyngeal Flap Surgery. (September 2020)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Prabhu, Shamit S.; Kiell, Eleanor P.; David, Lisa R.; Runyan, Christopher Michael
• Is Part Of: Cleft palate-craniofacial journal. Volume 57:Number 9(2020)
• Page Start: 1140
• Page End: 1145
• Publication Date: 2020-09
• Subjects: posterior pharyngeal flap -- obstructive sleep apnea -- cleft palate -- velopharyngeal insufficiency; Cleft palate -- Periodicals; Skull -- Abnormalities -- Periodicals; Cranial manipulation -- Periodicals; Skull -- Abnormalities -- Surgery -- Periodicals; Face -- Abnormalities -- Surgery -- Periodicals; Fente palatine -- Périodiques; Crâne -- Malformations -- Périodiques; Manipulation crânienne -- Périodiques; Crâne -- Malformations -- Chirurgie -- Périodiques; Face -- Malformations -- Chirurgie -- Périodiques; Cleft palate; Cranial manipulation; Face -- Abnormalities -- Surgery; Skull -- Abnormalities; Skull -- Abnormalities -- Surgery; Cleft Lip; Cleft Palate; Facial Bones -- abnormalities; Skull -- abnormalities; Periodicals; Periodicals; Periodicals; 617.522
• DOI: 10.1177/1055665620919326
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 1055-6656

Abstract

The posterior pharyngeal flap is frequently the surgical intervention of choice for the correction of velopharyngeal insufficiency. Our patient initially presented for a superiorly based, posterior pharyngeal flap to correct for velopharyngeal insufficiency. However, the postoperative recovery was complicated by severe obstructive sleep apnea, which warranted division and subsequent takedown of the flap. Despite flap takedown, our patient's obstructive sleep apnea persisted. The patient's clinical course suggests that donor site closure, and not the actual pharyngeal flap, caused the persistent obstructive sleep apnea.