

This one is about: What is a Sphincter Pharyngeoplasty?

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What is a Sphincter Pharyngeoplasty?

A parent writes:

I don't believe my PS plans on doing either a pharyngeal flap or a Z flap. He talked about a fairly new procedure ("to our area"). I am not sure of the name of the procedure but I believe it contains the word "sphincter". Do you or anyone else know what he might be talking about. He is a great surgeon but my wife does not like his bedside manner. This inhibits the level of questioning we put him through.


This procedure is called a Sphincter Pharyngeoplasty. They create a type of sphincter at the back of the throat by detaching, turning and reattaching mucosa in such a way as to give the child a structure she can use then to close off the extra space when talking.

Yes, it is a fairly new procedure. As far as whether it is the "best" is a matter of great debate -- but it is accepted and performed by a lot of teams. I think the bottom line is that EACH of the optional speech-related surgeries is the BEST for certain and specific children.

A pharyngeoplasty is a speech-related surgery in which the mucousal tissues of the pharynx are detached, twisted around, and re-attached in such a way as to create a sphincter-type structure that will allow Scotty the chance to get the closure he needs in the back of the throat. It is also called a Sphincter Pharyngeoplasty.

There are two other commonly used speech-related surgeries. Those are the Pharyngeal flap (a ledge is created between the soft palate and the back of the throat to close off the extra space) or a Double-Reversing Z-Plasty (or Furlow) in which the palate itself is made longer and more flexible the using a Z-plasty repair.

The surgery that Scotty is having today is gaining in popularity as a surgical procedure for the type of speech problem Scott has had.

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