[Speech improvement with velopharyngoplasty in patients with lip-jaw-palate clefts]

Despite successful closure of the hard and soft palate and intensive speech therapy a velopharyngeal insufficiency is not completely avoidable in each case of cleft palate. An improvement by velopharyngoplasty should be possible.

Two hundred and ninety patients suffering from cleft palate were examined before and one year after velopharyngoplasty according to Sanvenero-Rosselli. Four main symptoms of the affected speech were assessed: changes of the resonance, inappropriate nasal air emission, articulary disorders (deviations from articulation areas), and non-physiological facial expression during speaking, each divided into three grades. Afterwards, the complete speech quality was classified.

Assessing the symptoms separately and summarised the therapy including velopharyngoplasty was suitable to improve the speech quality in 83.1% of the cases, resulting in a widely unaffected speech. The improvement was greater in younger patients undergoing operation (Gamma-test, p < 0.001). But the final results were independent from age due to poorer initial situation in younger patients (Gamma-test, p < 0.001).

The velopharyngoplasty is an important method for repair of velopharyngeal insufficiency in patients with cleft palate. In each individual case it is necessary to consider carefully if and when this operation should be performed. An intensive interdisciplinary co-operation of all specialists involved in the treatment is indispensable.