Improving Care of Cleft-Related Velopharyngeal Incompetence on Humanitarian Missions Using a Multidisciplinary Team Approach

Conclusions: Pharyngeal flap/sphincter pharyngoplasty surgery in young adults resulted in improved speech scores and comprehensibility after speech surgery on Medical Readiness Training Exercise military humanitarian missions. Speech surgery in older patients in relatively austere environments is safe and effective. After comprehensive multidisciplinary team evaluation, 43% of the patients who were screened to have velopharyngeal incompetence were identified as surgical candidates. Fifty-seven percent of patients evaluated by speech pathologist were recommend nonsurgical solution toward improving speech scores sparing them unnecessary surgery. The incorporation of a speech pathologist to the humanitarian mission resulted in identifying surgical candidates who would benefit the most from intervention and improved speech surgery outcomes.
Source: Journal of Craniofacial Surgery - Category: Surgery Tags: Brief Clinical Studies Source Type: research