DOES PREEXISTING POSTERIOR PHARYNGEAL WALL-MOTION DRIVE THE DYNAMISM OF SPHINCTER PHARYNGOPLASTY

Lateral speech videofluoroscopic evaluations were videotaped preoperat ively and postoperatively for 20 patients who underwent sphincter phar yngoplasty. Randomized videotapes were constructed and subsequently ev aluated by speech/language pathologists experienced in assessing patie nts with velopharyngeal dysfunction. Rating forms assessing various mo tion parameters of the posterior pharyngeal wall were completed and an alyzed statistically. Results showed that the posterior pharyngeal wal l configuration postoperatively was less likely to be rated as smooth relative to the preoperative configuration (p = 0.019). No other stati stically significant data were obtained, although there was a trend fo r posterior pharyngeal wall movement rated as discrete preoperatively to be described as generalized postoperatively. We conclude that when comparing preoperative and postoperative parameters, sphincter pharyng oplasty does not significantly affect posterior pharyngeal wall motion . Posterior pharyngeal wall configuration is less likely to be categor ized as smooth after sphincter pharyngoplasty relative to the preopera tive condition. Although sphincter pharyngoplasty has been shown to im prove velopharyngeal function, there is little evidence from this stud y to suggest that preexisting posterior pharyngeal wall motion causes sphincteric movement.