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 …

6/07/2019 0

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Ways to Surgically Correct Velopharyngeal Insufficiency (VPI)

Recently, a video was created describing a medical condition called velopharyngeal insufficiency or VPI. This medical condition is characterized by hypernasal speech and if severe enough, food and liquid nasal regurgitation during swallow. Essentially, VPI is due to a persistent opening between the soft palate and back wall during speech. This continuous opening allows air escape during speech and food/liquid nasal regurgitation during swallow if severe enough. A new video (shown above)…

1/05/2019 0

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What is Velopharyngeal Insufficiency (VPI)? [VIDEO]

Velopharyngeal insufficiency or VPI is a difficult medical condition for patients who are not medical professionals to understand. This video attempts to explain what VPI is... VPI is a medical condition characterized by hypernasal speech and if severe enough, food and liquid nasal regurgitation during swallow. During normal speech and swallow, the soft palate closes tight against the back wall of the pharynx thereby completely separating the nasal cavity from the mouth. In patients s…

12/22/2018 0

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Velopharyngeal Insufficiency (VPI) After UPPP or Uvula Excision Surgery

Image 1 : Normal open position One of the main risks of uvula excision and UPPP (uvulopalatopharyngoplasty) surgery to treat snoring and obstructive sleep apnea is velopharyngeal insufficiency (VPI). This complication is when the soft palate is not able to adequately lift and close off the back of the nose from the throat.  When the VPI is large, food and liquids can come out the nose during swallow and there may be a hyper-nasal speech quality. When the VPI is very small, a patient ma…

6/10/2016 0

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New Video Example of a Failed Pharyngeal Flap for VPI

A new video has been posted of an exam showing a patient with a pharyngeal flap that failed to correct his hypernasal speech. Historically, the patient had a cleft lip and palate that was repaired and because of a persistent velopharyngeal insufficiency producing hypernasal speech, a pharyngeal flap was performed. However, this flap was not successful as the hypernasal speech persisted. The reason for the persistent hypernasal speech in spite of the pharyngeal flap was made apparent on flex…

3/28/2008 0

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Minimally Invasive Surgery to Correct Hyper-Nasal Speech

Dr. Chang performs minimally invasive correction of nasal speech due to velopharyngeal insufficiency . This procedure entails the use of endoscopic techniques to precisely correct the defect without the use of incisions or soft palate reconstruction. Only patients with a small defect are candidates. In order to determine the size of the defect to see if a patient is a candidate, video nasal endoscopy is performed. Examples of exams are shown on this webpage as well. Please contact our off…

3/21/2008 0

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New Video Example of Nasal Speech Caused by VPI

New video exam of a child with hyper-nasal speech has been posted here . The cause of this child's hyper-nasal speech was due to a right lateral velopharyngeal insufficiency due to a slight right soft palate paresis. In this particular case, the child and parents also noticed that food and liquids kept coming out the nose whenever she swallowed. This deficit spontaneously resolved after about 1 month. For more examples of causes of nasal speech, click here .

10/12/2007 0

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New Video Exam of a Lateral Velopharyngeal Insufficiency

A video of a fiberoptic endoscopic examination of a child who has a right lateral velpharyngeal insufficiency has been posted here .

1/25/2007 0

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2 New Video Exams of Voice Disorders Posted!

2 new video exams of human voice disorders have been posted. The first video is muscle tension aphonia . The second video is an exam after posterior pharyngeal flap reconstruction was performed to correct a central velopharyngeal insufficiency.

12/06/2006 0

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New Video Example of VPI

Another video example of velopharyngeal insufficiency has been added to the Nasal Speech section.

11/18/2006 0

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