Study of the association between soft palate lengthening and speech outcome in cleft palate patients

Abstract

To achieve good velopharyngeal function and normal speech, the soft palate requires sufficient length and normal functioning velar muscles to separate the oropharynges. The purpose of this study is to identify a correlation between the extent of soft palatal lengthening and speech outcome. A total of 43 patients with cleft palates who underwent surgery were intended in this study. Those with associated syndromes, hearing problem or physical, perceptional, language development problem that could influence speech development were excluded from the analysis. Preoperative and postoperative soft palatal lengths were measured by a method devised by the authors. Postoperative speech outcome was evaluated around 3 years by perceptual speech evaluation. Statistical analysis was performed between the extent of palatal lengthening and postoperative speech outcome by Mann-Whitney U test and Kruskal-Wallis test. The authors could not find any significant correlation. Although additional clinical trials are necessary, we confirmed, through statistical analyses, that the major prognostic factors influencing speech outcome after palatoplasty are other intraoperative constituents, such as accurate reapproximation of the velar musculature, rather than the palate longitudinal length.