When this operation is performed there are several advantages. It is possible to narrow down the velopharyngeal port without modifying the function of the velum or lateral walls. Furthermore, the chance of obstructing the airway is lower, because the port can be closed more precisely. Many materials have been used for this closure: petroleum jelly, paraffin, cartilage, adjacent soft tissue, silastic, fat, Teflon and proplast. But results in the long term are very unpredictable. There are problems with tissue incompatibility and migration of the implant. Even migration to the brain is noticed. Non-operative techniques
Prosthesis
Prostheses are used for nonsurgical closure in a situation of velopharyngeal dysfunction. There are two types of prosthesis: the speech bulb and the palatal lift prosthesis. The speech bulb is an acrylic body that can be placed in the velopharyngeal port and can achieve obstruction. The palatal lift prosthesis is comparable with the speech bulb, but with a metal skeleton attached to the acrylic body. This will also obstruct the velopharyngeal port. It is a good option for patients that have enough tissue but a poor control of the coordination and timing of velopharyngeal movement. It is also used in patients with contraindications for surgery. It has also been used as a reversible test to confirm whether a surgical intervention would help. Etymology
The word velopharyngeal uses combining forms of velo- + pharyng-, referring to the soft palate (velum palatinum) and the pharynx. == References ==
Triplegia is a medical condition characterized by the paralysis of three limbs. While there is no typical pattern of involvement, it is usually associated with paralysis of both legs and one arm—but can also involve both arms and one leg. Triplegia can sometimes be considered a combination of hemiplegia (paralysis of arm and leg of one side of the body) overlaying diplegia (paralysis of both legs), or as quadriplegia (paralysis of four limbs) with less involvement in one extremity.The condition is commonly associated with cerebral palsy, although conditions such as strokes can also lead to it. Triplegia has also been found to be due to an increase in intracranial pressure associated with hydrocephalus resulting from traumatic brain injury.A similar condition is triparesis, in which a person has paresis in three limbs, meaning that the limbs are very weak, but not completely paralyzed. In a case reported only due to its rarity, triplegia was reported following a surgical removal of the tonsils. An eight-year-old boy was sent to Willard Parker Hospital on August 12, 1929, and had been diagnosed with poliomyelitis. After an unrelated, and routine, tonsillectomy there was complete flaccid paralysis and loss of feeling in both the legs, right arm, and muscles in the trunk. == References ==