Reconstruction of the entire soft palate after removal of recurrent pleomorphic adenomas or carcinomas of minor salivary gland origin is extremely difficult and may result in velopharyngeal incompetence for speech and swallowing.
Prosthetic management by an application of the speech-aid may fail to obtain a satisfactory result, since a water-tight fit and adequate retention of the prosthesis is difficult even by cooperative consultation with the prosthodontist.
In order to solve this rehabilitation problem, we developed an operative method for immediate repair of the entire soft palate using a superiorly based myomucosal flap obtained from the posterior pharyngeal wall. We utilized this technique in 5 consecutive cases, and the patients had successful restoration of velopharyngeal function with normal speech, swallowing and nasal breathing.
