[Treatment of velopharyngeal stenosis after pharyngotomy for chronic snoring. Apropos of 13 cases].

Velopharyngeal stenosis is a rare complication of pharyngotomy (UPPP) for chronic snoring. Its treatment is hard because of its recidivant feature. The aim of this study was to determine a therapeutic strategy accorded to each stenosis from clinical and anatomical features of 13 velopharyngeal stenosis. Therapeutic behavior was function of patients complains, of the ground (associated chronic rhinosinusitis and obstructive sleep apnea) and clinical findings (partial or total stenosis, tonsil remainders, short or long residual soft palate). From these data, treatment was medical (1 case) or surgical (12 cases), searching lateral velopharyngeal mucosa recovery in order to avoid recidive of stenosis. This aim needed locoregional mucosal grafts in 4 patients with short soft palate. Patients complains were improved in all cases and there was no patient with recurrence of stenosis. The best treatment of velopharyngeal stenosis still remains a preventive one, by respecting a severe surgical technique during pharyngotomy for chronic snoring.