Assessing the outcome of surgery to correct velopharyngeal insufficiency with the pediatric voice outcomes survey.

OBJECTIVE: To assess the functional outcome of surgery for velopharyngeal insufficiency (VPI) by administering the pediatric voice outcomes survey (PVOS) to the parents of the affected children.

DESIGN: Prospective longitudinal study.

SETTING: Tertiary referral pediatric otolaryngology office.

SUBJECTS: Twelve children who underwent surgery to correct VPI during the 12-month-period between 1 January 2002 and 31 December 2002.

METHODS: Parents of the 12 children were administered the PVOS prior to surgery and again 6 weeks post-operatively. The PVOS is a validated instrument designed to measure voice-related quality of life (V-RQOL). The score has been transformed to range from 0 (low V-RQOL) to 100 (high V-RQOL).

RESULTS: The mean age of the children was 5 years (standard deviation [S.D.], 2.3 years). Seven children underwent sphincteroplasty and five had a superior based pharyngeal flap as a primary procedure. Three children required secondary procedures to correct their underlying VPI and one of those had a third procedure consisting of a posterior wall fat injection. The mean pre-operative PVOS score was 38.3 (S.D., 12) and the mean 6 weeks post-operative score was 72.3 (S.D., 22.7) (paired t-test; P < 0.001).

CONCLUSION: The PVOS represents a valid clinical tool to measure the functional impact of surgery to correct pediatric velopharyngeal insufficiency.