Postoperative Speech Improvement in the Patients of Velopharyngeal Dysfunction without Definite Cleft Palate.

Bae, Yong Chan; Kang, Cheol Uk; Nam, Su Bong; Herh, Jae Young; Kang, Young Seok

Search: J Korean Soc Plast Reconstr Surg Search

CLOSE

Original Article

Journal of the Korean Society of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgeons 2006;33(2):144-148.
Published online March 1, 2006.

Postoperative Speech Improvement in the Patients of Velopharyngeal Dysfunction without Definite Cleft Palate.

Yong Chan Bae, Cheol Uk Kang, Su Bong Nam, Jae Young Herh, Young Seok Kang

Department of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, College of Medicine, Pusan National University, Busan, Korea. baeyc2@hanmail.net

Abstract

The velopharyngeal dysfunction usually occurs in patients with previous operation of the cleft palate or with submucosal cleft palate. In case of velopharyngeal dysfunction without cleft palate, no study has been made when it comes to operative method and postoperative results. Here, we would like to present the operative methods and the postoperative results with the cases we've experienced. This study is based on seven cases of velopharyngeal dysfunction without cleft palate from 1999 to 2004. Analysis of age, sex, etiology, operative methods, satisfaction rate and speech evaluation was done. The patients were 3 males and 4 females, with an age ranged from 10 to 28 at the time of surgery. The follow-up period was more than six months. One case had bifid uvula, another had atypical anomaly in palate, and five cases had no anatomical abnormality. The palatal lengthening was done on one patient, the levator muscle repositioning on another patient and to the rest of them, the superiorly based posterior pharyngeal flap was done. It was difficult to determine the etiology of the velopharyngeal dysfunction without cleft palate. The speech improvement and the satisfaction rate of the patients and parents were diverse. Although the authors had a problem with statistical analysis between the operative age and the speech improvement, it was reasonable to perform a surgical operation because post operative speech improvement was observed in most cases regardless of age. There is little statistical correlation, but significantly higher outcomes were observed in palatal lengthening and levator muscle repositioning than in pharyngeal flap.

Keywords: Velopharyngeal insufficiency; Cleft palate; Speech articulation test

TOOLS