• Journal of the Korean Association of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeons
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• 제27권1호
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• pp.92-96
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• 2001

Velopharyngeal function refers to the combined activity of the soft palate and pharynx in closing and opening the velopharyngeal port to the required degree. In normal speech, various muscles of palate & pharynx function as sphincter and occlude the oropharynx from the nasopharynx during the production of oral consonant sounds. Inadequate velopharyngeal function caused by neurologic disorder - cerebral apoplexy, regressive diseases - disseminated sclerosis, Parkinson's disease, congenital deformity - cleft palate, cerebral palsy and etc. may result in abnormal speech characterized by hypernasality, nasal emission and decreased intelligibility of speech due to weak consonant production. In our study, we constructed speech aids prosthesis - Palatal lift in acquired idiophathic VPI patient and assessed velopharyngeal function with various diagnostic instruments which can evaluate the speech characteristics objectively.

• The Journal of Advanced Prosthodontics
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• 제4권4호
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• pp.243-247
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• 2012

The velopharynx is a tridimensional muscular valve located between the oral and nasal cavities, consisting of the lateral and posterior pharyngeal walls and the soft palate, and controls the passage of air. Velopharyngeal insufficiency may take place when the velopharyngeal valve is unable to perform its own closing, due to a lack of tissue or lack of proper movement. Treatment options include surgical correction, prosthetic rehabilitation, and speech therapy; though optimal results often require a multidisciplinary approach for the restoration of both anatomical and physiological defect. We report a case of 56 year old male patient presenting with hypernasal speech pattern and velopharyngeal insufficiency secondary to cleft palate which had been surgically corrected 18 years ago. The patient was treated with a combination of speech therapy and palatal lift prosthesis employing interim prostheses in various phases before the insertion of definitive appliance. This phase-wise treatment plan helped to improve patient's compliance and final outcome.

• 대한치과보철학회지
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• 제56권2호
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• pp.161-165
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• 2018

본 증례는 2016년 점액표피양 암종으로 인해 종괴 제거 후 발음이 잘 되지 않는다는 주소로 연세대학교 치과대학병원 보철과로 의뢰 된 38세 여환으로, 구개 거상장치를 제작하고 연성 이장재를 사용하여 연구개를 거상시켜 발음 및 연하 개선 여부를 확인하였으며 최종적으로 열중합 레진으로 교체하였다. 이후 환자는 발음 및 연하에 있어 만족할만한 결과를 보였다. 따라서 본 증례를 보고하는 바이다.

• 대한치과보철학회지
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• 제54권3호
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• pp.286-290
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• 2016

최근에 열가소성 레진 클라스프를 이용한 가철성 장치의 사용이 빈번해졌다. 통상적으로 사용하는 아크릴릭 레진과 비교했을 때 열가소성 레진은 낮은 굴곡 강도와 탄성률을 가지고 있다. 그러므로 열가소성 레진으로 제작된 가철성 장치는 파절의 위험이 낮아 의치상이 얇고 가볍게 만들어져 환자들이 편하게 사용할 수 있다. 또한 장치가 치아 언더컷에 수동적으로 장착될 수 있어 지대치의 삭제가 최소이거나 거의 없다. 이 증례에서는 경도의 구개인두부전을 가진 44세 여환은 polyester 계열 열가소성 레진으로 제작된 구개거상장치로 치료를 받았다. 환자가 결손치가 없고 보존적인 치료를 원하기 때문에 열가소성 레진을 이용한 가철성 장치가 상대적으로 만족스러운 치료 결과를 보였다.

• Journal of Korean Dental Science
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• 제7권1호
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• pp.38-42
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• 2014

Bisphosphonate-related osteonecrosis of the jaw (BRONJ) is defined as exposed necrotic bone without evidence of healing for at least 8 weeks in the maxillofacial area in a patient with history of bisphosphonate use. Obtaining complete coverage of the hard tissue by soft tissue in BRONJ patients is especially important. Therefore, managing the mucosa is one of the key factors in a successful outcome, but this is especially hard to achieve in BRONJ patients. Various applications of buccal fat pad in oral reconstruction-including the closure of surgical defects following tumor excision, repair of surgical defects following the excision of leukoplakia and submucous fibrosis, closure of primary and secondary palatal clefts, coverage of maxillary and mandibular bone grafts, and lining of sinus surface of maxillary sinus bone graft in sinus lift procedures for maxillary augmentation-have been studied. Eliminating all potential sites of infection and post-operative infection control is crucial in BRONJ. We present a case using the buccal fat pad pedicle for a stage 3 BRONJ defect. Uneventful total epithelialization of the buccal fat pad regardless of size was noted. In summary, the buccal fat pad has versatile application and various recipient sites for surgical utilization. It is an easy technique, with promising overall success rates. With careful selection and handling, buccal fat graft can resolve problems with soft tissue coverage in stage 2 or 3 BRONJ patients.

• Maxillofacial Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery
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• 제41권
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• pp.19.1-19.6
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• 2019

Background: The submucous cleft palate (SMCP) is a type of cleft palate that may result in velopharyngeal insufficiency (VPI). Palate muscles completely separate oral and nasal cavities by closing off the velopharynx during functional processes such as speech or swallow. Also, hypernasality may arise from anatomical or neurological abnormalities in these functions. Treatments of this issue involve a combination of surgical intervention, speech aid, and speech therapy. This case report demonstrates successfully treated VPI resulted from SMCP without any surgical intervention but solely with speech aid appliance and speech therapy. Case presentation: A 13-year-old female patient with a speech disorder from velopharyngeal insufficiency that was caused by a submucous cleft palate visited to our OMFS clinic. In the intraoral examination, the patient had a short soft palate and bifid uvula. And the muscles in the palate did not contract properly during oral speech. She had no surgical history such as primary palatoplasty or pharyngoplasty except for tonsillectomy. And there were no other medical histories. Objective speech assessment using nasometer was performed. We diagnosed that the patient had a SMCP. The patient has shown a decrease in speech intelligibility, which resulted from hypernasality. We decided to treat the patient with speech aid (palatal lift) along with speech therapy. During the 7-month treatment, hypernasality measured by a nasometer decreased and speech intelligibility became normal. Conclusions: Surgery remains the first treatment option for patients with velopharyngeal insufficiencies from submucous cleft palates. However, there were few reports about objective speech evaluation pre- or post-operation. Moreover, there has been no report of non-surgical treatment in the recent studies. From this perspective, this report of objective improvement of speech intelligibility of VPI patient with SMCP by non-surgical treatment has a significant meaning. Speech aid can be considered as one of treatment options for management of SMCP.