Dr. Chang Published in Neuroradiology Journal on Velopharyngeal Dysfunction

Pretty exciting news! Dr. Chang has co-authored a peer-reviewed journal article on the topic of velopharyngeal dysfunction that was published in the June 2019 journal of Neurographics. Most of his other co-authors all belong to the Department of Radiology at the University of Virginia.

Velopharyngeal dysfunction or insufficiency (VPI) is a condition when the soft palate does not close properly separating the oral cavity from the nasal cavity during speech and swallow. Watch the video below to learn more about this condition.

The journal article is mainly geared towards radiologists and how imaging can be used to evaluate this unusual condition. Although ENTs can diagnose this condition with a nasal endoscope, some VPI conditions can only be truly evaluated using some type of radiological imaging, the current state of the art being real-time MRI.

VPI can be surgically corrected if more conservative management (ie speech/swallow therapy) fails to adequately correct.

In any case, click here to read the full-article. (To download, you have to click whether you desire HTML or PDF once you go to the journal's website.)

Reference:
Velopharyngeal Dysfunction: What a Radiologist Must Know. Neurographics. 9(3):201-211; 2019.