Pharyngeal Flap Versus Sphincter Pharyngoplasty for Velopharyngeal Insufficiency: A Review of the 2014 and 2015 American College of Surgeons National Surgical Quality Improvement Project-Pediatrics Data.

The authors sought to compare hospital utilization and complications in patients undergoing pharyngeal flap (PF) or sphincter pharyngoplasty (SP) for velopharyngeal insufficiency (VPI). A retrospective analysis of the 2014 and 2015 American College of Surgeons National Surgical Quality Improvement Project- Pediatrics (ACS NSQIP-P) was performed. Current procedural terminology codes were used to identify children undergoing PF (42225, 42226) and SP (42950) for VPI (International Classification of Diseases version 9: 478.29, 528.9, or 750.29). Four hundred forty-six patients were treated for VPI with either PF (n = 250) or SP (n = 196). The groups were demographically similar in age, gender, race, and preoperative comorbidity. Pharyngeal flap was performed less often as an outpatient procedure than SP (96/250 [38.4%] vs 130/196 [66.3%], P<0.0001) and had a longer total length of hospital stay (mean 1.76 +/- 1.29 vs 0.98 +/- 0.91 days, P<0.0001). No difference in total complications (10/250 [4.0%] vs 3/196 [1.5%], P = 0.124) was identified. The reduction in hospital resource utilization (fewer admissions, shorter length of stay) is notable. No difference in complications was identified between the 2 procedures.