Speech outcome in cleft palate patients with simultaneous primary palatal repair and adenoidectomy

This study deals with speech outcome after adenoidectomy performed simultaneously with primary palatal repair. Signs of velopharyngeal insufficiency were registered in the speech of 24 children with cleft lip and palate (CLP) or cleft palate only (CP) who underwent adenoidectomy (Group A+), and in 25 C(L)P children who had no adenoidectomy (Group A-). The results indicated that hypernasality occurred significantly more frequently in Group A+ than in Group A-. Audible nasal air emission also tended to occur more frequently in Group A+. The groups did not differ when it came to articulation errors associated with velopharyngeal insufficiency. The clinical implications of these results are discussed.