Publishing trends in velopharyngeal insufficiency.

[OBJECTIVE] This study seeks to describe publishing trends for VPI over a 33-year span with regard to treating specialty, methods of assessment, related diagnoses, and methods of treatment for each specialty.

[METHODS] A PubMed search was performed on "velopharyngeal insufficiency" using medical subject headings terms from 1985 to 2017. Publisher specialty, method(s) of VPI assessment, associated diagnosis/diagnoses, and method(s) of VPI treatment per specialty and combined across specialties were analyzed. Respective publications were totaled in 11-year intervals and two-way analysis of variance was used to compare change over time within specialties and across specialties.

[RESULTS] 763 publications were included for analysis. The total number of publications on VPI increased from a total of 6 in 1985 to a peak of 67 in 2015. The specialties that showed the largest increase in relative frequency of publication were Otolaryngology (p < 0.001), Plastic Surgery (p < 0.001), and Multidisciplinary (p < 0.001). Publications on endoscopic (p < 0.001) evaluation of VPI have significantly increased over time relative to magnetic resonance imaging and lateral cephalometry. Across all specialties, publications that feature pharyngoplasty (p < 0.001), palatoplasty (p < 0.001), and pharyngeal flap (p < 0.001) as methods of VPI treatment have significantly increased over time.

[CONCLUSION] There is a trend towards endoscopy for diagnostics and a multidisciplinary approach when managing patients with VPI. The specialty that showed the largest increase in the relative frequency of publication was Otolaryngology. Surgical methods of treatment continue to be described at increasing frequency relative to more conservative treatments.