{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,6,25]],"date-time":"2026-06-25T16:49:34Z","timestamp":1782406174889,"version":"3.54.5"},"reference-count":7,"publisher":"SAGE Publications","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2026,6,22]],"date-time":"2026-06-22T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1782086400000},"content-version":"tdm","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/journals.sagepub.com\/page\/policies\/text-and-data-mining-license"}],"content-domain":{"domain":["journals.sagepub.com"],"crossmark-restriction":true},"short-container-title":["The Cleft Palate Craniofacial Journal"],"abstract":"<jats:p>This letter is about a recent publication in the Cleft Palate Craniofacial Journal titled: \u201cPosterior Positioning of Levator Veli Palatini with Intact Nasal Layer and Side-by-Side Bilateral Buccinator Flaps: Modified Approach for Palatal Lengthening\u201d in which the authors present a \u2018modified\u2019 technique combining both palatal lengthening with buccinator flaps and velar muscles posterior positioning. However, earlier publications including two peer-reviewed articles and a book chapter had already introduced the same conceptual combination, yet these were not cited.<\/jats:p>\n                  <jats:p>We discuss the technical differences among these procedures, as well as the potential advantages and disadvantages of each. These differences include whether buccinator flaps are used to lengthen only the oral mucosa or both the oral and nasal layers, and whether the velar muscle is dissected in isolation or maintained attached to either the nasal or oral mucosa during retropositioning. Current evidence remains insufficient to determine whether oral-only or dual-layer lengthening provides superior outcomes, or which muscle dissection technique achieves more reliable velopharyngeal competence, as existing studies are limited by relatively small and heterogeneous cohorts, variations in assessment methods, and inconsistent follow-up durations. Further comparative studies are needed to clarify the optimal technique for combining buccinator palatal lengthening with muscle repositioning.<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.1177\/10556656261461124","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2026,6,22]],"date-time":"2026-06-22T17:26:51Z","timestamp":1782149211000},"update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1177\/sage-journals-update-policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":0,"title":["Buccinator Flaps Palatal Lengthening and Posterior Positioning of the Velar Muscles as a Combined Procedure for VPI Management"],"prefix":"10.1177","author":[{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0001-8529-1529","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Ahmed","family":"Elsherbiny","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"Cleft and Craniofacial Unit, Plastic Surgery Department, Sohag University Hospital, Sohag, Egypt; Division of Pediatric Plastic Surgery, King Abdullah Specialized Children's Hospital, King Abdulaziz Medical City, Ministry of National Guard Health Affairs, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Ahmed S","family":"Mazeed","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Cleft and Craniofacial Unit, Plastic Surgery Department, Sohag University Hospital, Sohag, Egypt; Division of Pediatric Plastic Surgery, King Abdullah Specialized Children's Hospital, King Abdulaziz Medical City, Ministry of National Guard Health Affairs, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]}],"member":"179","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2026,6,22]]},"reference":[{"key":"e_1_3_2_2_2","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1177\/10556656241248272"},{"key":"e_1_3_2_3_2","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1597\/1545-1569_2002_039_0295_prrr_2.0.co_2"},{"key":"e_1_3_2_4_2","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1597\/02-146.1"},{"key":"e_1_3_2_5_2","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1097\/PRS.0b013e3182131d3e"},{"key":"e_1_3_2_6_2","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1177\/1055665619900621"},{"key":"e_1_3_2_7_2","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1016\/j.jcms.2016.10.012"},{"key":"e_1_3_2_8_2","first-page":"567","volume-title":"Interdisciplinary Cleft Care: Global Perspectives","author":"Sommerlad BC","year":"2023","unstructured":"Sommerlad BC. Revision palatoplasty with intravelar veloplasty (\u00b1) buccinator flaps. In: Hamdan US, Rogers-Vizena CR, Vyas RM, Sommerlad BC, Low DW, eds. Interdisciplinary Cleft Care: Global Perspectives. Pleural Publishing, Inc.; 2023:567-579."}],"container-title":["The Cleft Palate Craniofacial Journal"],"original-title":[],"language":"en","link":[{"URL":"https:\/\/journals.sagepub.com\/doi\/pdf\/10.1177\/10556656261461124","content-type":"application\/pdf","content-version":"vor","intended-application":"text-mining"},{"URL":"https:\/\/journals.sagepub.com\/doi\/full-xml\/10.1177\/10556656261461124","content-type":"application\/xml","content-version":"vor","intended-application":"text-mining"},{"URL":"https:\/\/journals.sagepub.com\/doi\/pdf\/10.1177\/10556656261461124","content-type":"unspecified","content-version":"vor","intended-application":"similarity-checking"}],"deposited":{"date-parts":[[2026,6,25]],"date-time":"2026-06-25T16:20:04Z","timestamp":1782404404000},"score":1,"resource":{"primary":{"URL":"https:\/\/journals.sagepub.com\/doi\/10.1177\/10556656261461124"}},"subtitle":[],"short-title":[],"issued":{"date-parts":[[2026,6,22]]},"references-count":7,"alternative-id":["10.1177\/10556656261461124"],"URL":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1177\/10556656261461124","relation":{},"ISSN":["1055-6656","1545-1569"],"issn-type":[{"value":"1055-6656","type":"print"},{"value":"1545-1569","type":"electronic"}],"subject":[],"published":{"date-parts":[[2026,6,22]]},"article-number":"10556656261461124"}}