Hypernasal speech and acute nasal regurgitation: A case report and a review of the literature
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Keywords
Velopharyngeal sphincter, velopharyngeal insufficiency, cranial nerve diseases
Abstract
Hypernasal speech and nasal regurgitation are symptoms of velopharyngeal dys- function. This may have multiple causes, including velopharyngeal incompetence due to paresis or paralysis of the vagus nerve and/or glossopharyngeal nerve. We describe the case of a 13 year-old female patient, with hypernasal speech and acute nasal re- gurgitation, with a physical examination showing immobility of the right palate with no other neurological findings. Magnetic resonance imaging of the brain and lumbar puncture was normal. Transient acute velopharyngeal incompetence was diagnosed, probably of viral etiology. The patient evolved favorably with progressive clinical impro- vement. Velopharyngeal incompetence due to paresis or paralysis of the vagus and/or glossopharyngeal nerves is a rare cause of velopharyngeal dysfunction.
