Obstructive Sleep Apnea Following Secondary Velopharyngeal Insufficiency in Children with Non-Syndromic Cleft Palate: A Systematic Review

Study design: Systematic review. Objective: Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) is a possible complication following secondary velopharyngeal insufficiency surgery in patients with repaired cleft palate. Various surgical techniques are used to treat secondary velopharyngeal insufficiency after cleft palat...

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Main Authors: Milton Chin, Mona Haj, Sarah L. Versnel, Henriette H. W. de Gier, Eppo B. Wolvius
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: MDPI AG 2025-01-01
Series:Craniomaxillofacial Trauma & Reconstruction
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Online Access:https://www.mdpi.com/1943-3883/18/1/6
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author Milton Chin
Mona Haj
Sarah L. Versnel
Henriette H. W. de Gier
Eppo B. Wolvius
author_facet Milton Chin
Mona Haj
Sarah L. Versnel
Henriette H. W. de Gier
Eppo B. Wolvius
author_sort Milton Chin
collection DOAJ
description Study design: Systematic review. Objective: Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) is a possible complication following secondary velopharyngeal insufficiency surgery in patients with repaired cleft palate. Various surgical techniques are used to treat secondary velopharyngeal insufficiency after cleft palate repair, but the optimal procedure remains debatable. This review provides an overview of the incidence of airway obstructive outcomes related to different surgical modalities. Methods: A systematic search was performed on the 1st of February following the PRISMA guidelines and registered on PROSPERO (CRD42022299715). The following databases were reviewed: Medline, EMBASE, Web of Science, Google Scholar, and the Cochrane Library databases. Studies that included data on the occurrence of OSA following velopharyngeal surgery in children with a repaired non-syndromic cleft palate were included. Non-English articles and studies that included syndromic cleft palate patients were excluded. Results: Twenty-eight articles met the inclusion criteria. The surgical procedures are classified into three groups: pharyngeal flap procedure (PF), sphincter pharyngoplasty (SP), and palatal muscle repositioning (PMR). Incidence of post-operative OSA and symptoms of OSA were lowest after PMR compared to SP and PF (3%; 34%; 29%, respectively). Pharyngeal flap procedures resulted in the best speech outcomes. Conclusions: PMR results in fewer postoperative complications in terms of OSA and achieves a satisfactory reduction in hypernasal speech. PF procedure carries a higher risk of developing OSA postoperatively but seems to be superior in the reduction in hypernasality.
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spelling doaj-art-8533ef10ee1f419780ee29028a84c24d2025-08-20T02:23:00ZengMDPI AGCraniomaxillofacial Trauma & Reconstruction1943-38832025-01-01181610.3390/cmtr18010006Obstructive Sleep Apnea Following Secondary Velopharyngeal Insufficiency in Children with Non-Syndromic Cleft Palate: A Systematic ReviewMilton Chin0Mona Haj1Sarah L. Versnel2Henriette H. W. de Gier3Eppo B. Wolvius4Department of Maxillofacial Surgery, Erasmus MC–Sophia Children’s Hospital, University Medical Centre Rotterdam, 3015 GD Rotterdam, The NetherlandsDepartment of Maxillofacial Surgery, Erasmus MC–Sophia Children’s Hospital, University Medical Centre Rotterdam, 3015 GD Rotterdam, The NetherlandsDepartment of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, Erasmus MC–Sophia Children’s Hospital, University Medical Centre Rotterdam, 3015 GD Rotterdam, The NetherlandsDepartment of Otorhinolaryngology and Head and Neck Surgery, Erasmus MC–Sophia Children’s Hospital, University Medical Centre Rotterdam, 3015 GD Rotterdam, The NetherlandsDepartment of Maxillofacial Surgery, Erasmus MC–Sophia Children’s Hospital, University Medical Centre Rotterdam, 3015 GD Rotterdam, The NetherlandsStudy design: Systematic review. Objective: Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) is a possible complication following secondary velopharyngeal insufficiency surgery in patients with repaired cleft palate. Various surgical techniques are used to treat secondary velopharyngeal insufficiency after cleft palate repair, but the optimal procedure remains debatable. This review provides an overview of the incidence of airway obstructive outcomes related to different surgical modalities. Methods: A systematic search was performed on the 1st of February following the PRISMA guidelines and registered on PROSPERO (CRD42022299715). The following databases were reviewed: Medline, EMBASE, Web of Science, Google Scholar, and the Cochrane Library databases. Studies that included data on the occurrence of OSA following velopharyngeal surgery in children with a repaired non-syndromic cleft palate were included. Non-English articles and studies that included syndromic cleft palate patients were excluded. Results: Twenty-eight articles met the inclusion criteria. The surgical procedures are classified into three groups: pharyngeal flap procedure (PF), sphincter pharyngoplasty (SP), and palatal muscle repositioning (PMR). Incidence of post-operative OSA and symptoms of OSA were lowest after PMR compared to SP and PF (3%; 34%; 29%, respectively). Pharyngeal flap procedures resulted in the best speech outcomes. Conclusions: PMR results in fewer postoperative complications in terms of OSA and achieves a satisfactory reduction in hypernasal speech. PF procedure carries a higher risk of developing OSA postoperatively but seems to be superior in the reduction in hypernasality.https://www.mdpi.com/1943-3883/18/1/6cleft palatepharynxvelopharyngeal insufficiencyobstructive sleep apneasleep apneaobstructive*/etiology
spellingShingle Milton Chin
Mona Haj
Sarah L. Versnel
Henriette H. W. de Gier
Eppo B. Wolvius
Obstructive Sleep Apnea Following Secondary Velopharyngeal Insufficiency in Children with Non-Syndromic Cleft Palate: A Systematic Review
Craniomaxillofacial Trauma & Reconstruction
cleft palate
pharynx
velopharyngeal insufficiency
obstructive sleep apnea
sleep apnea
obstructive*/etiology
title Obstructive Sleep Apnea Following Secondary Velopharyngeal Insufficiency in Children with Non-Syndromic Cleft Palate: A Systematic Review
title_full Obstructive Sleep Apnea Following Secondary Velopharyngeal Insufficiency in Children with Non-Syndromic Cleft Palate: A Systematic Review
title_fullStr Obstructive Sleep Apnea Following Secondary Velopharyngeal Insufficiency in Children with Non-Syndromic Cleft Palate: A Systematic Review
title_full_unstemmed Obstructive Sleep Apnea Following Secondary Velopharyngeal Insufficiency in Children with Non-Syndromic Cleft Palate: A Systematic Review
title_short Obstructive Sleep Apnea Following Secondary Velopharyngeal Insufficiency in Children with Non-Syndromic Cleft Palate: A Systematic Review
title_sort obstructive sleep apnea following secondary velopharyngeal insufficiency in children with non syndromic cleft palate a systematic review
topic cleft palate
pharynx
velopharyngeal insufficiency
obstructive sleep apnea
sleep apnea
obstructive*/etiology
url https://www.mdpi.com/1943-3883/18/1/6
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