Obstructive Sleep Apnea Secondary to Pharyngeal Narrowing From Horizontal Donor Site Closure During Posterior Pharyngeal Flap Surgery

Abstract

The posterior pharyngeal flap is frequently the surgical intervention of choice for the correction of velopharyngeal insufficiency. Our patient initially presented for a superiorly based, posterior pharyngeal flap to correct for velopharyngeal insufficiency. However, the postoperative recovery was complicated by severe obstructive sleep apnea, which warranted division and subsequent takedown of the flap. Despite flap takedown, our patient’s obstructive sleep apnea persisted. The patient’s clinical course suggests that donor site closure, and not the actual pharyngeal flap, caused the persistent obstructive sleep apnea.