[Velopharyngeal closure pattern and speech performance among submucous cleft palate patients]

Area of Science:

• Craniofacial Surgery
• Speech Pathology
• Pediatric Otolaryngology

Background:

• Submucous cleft palate (SCP) presents unique challenges in velopharyngeal function.
• Understanding velopharyngeal closure patterns is crucial for speech outcomes in SCP patients.

Purpose of the Study:

• To characterize velopharyngeal closure patterns in patients with SCP.
• To evaluate speech performance, including articulation, in this patient cohort.
• To correlate velopharyngeal closure with speech outcomes.

Main Methods:

• Retrospective analysis of 353 SCP patients (2008-2016).
• Subjective speech evaluation (velopharyngeal function, articulation).
• Objective nasopharyngeal endoscopy (soft palate and pharyngeal wall mobility).

Main Results:

• Velopharyngeal incompetence (VPI) was observed in 49.86% of patients.
• Circular closure pattern was most common (62.31%) during endoscopy.
• Consonant elimination (35.13%) and compensatory articulation (14.45%) were prevalent speech errors.
• Articulation errors were more frequent in patients with lower velopharyngeal closure rates.

Conclusions:

• Circular closure is the predominant velopharyngeal pattern in SCP.
• High-pressure consonant deletion is the most common articulation abnormality.
• Impaired velopharyngeal closure significantly impacts articulation in SCP patients.