Abstract
The folded pharyngeal flaps, which were created at Kyoto University, and other types of pharyngeal flaps at other hospitals were compared using cephalometric radiographs taken at rest and during phonation of /si/.
The results were as follows:
1. The length of pharyngeal flap demonstrated no significant differences between folded pharyngeal flaps and other pharyngeal flaps.
2. The thickness of the folded pharyngeal flap was found to be thicker than that of other pharyngeal flaps (p< 0.01).
3. The position of the base of the pharyngeal flap was not significantly different between the folded pharyngeal flap and other pharyngeal flaps. The nasal midpoint of the folded pharyngeal flap was higher than that of other pharyngeal flaps (p< 0.05). The nasal midpoint of the folded pharyngeal flap was consistent with the point of the velopharyngeal closure.
4. The size of the folded pharyngeal flap was larger than that of other pharyngeal flaps.
5. The angle of the soft palate against the nasal floor plane showed no significant difference between the folded pharyngeal flap and other pharyngeal flaps.
The folded pharyngeal flap had a clear advantage over other pharyngeal flaps in terms of velopharyngeal closure.
