Velopharyngeal closure pattern and speech characteristics of patients congenital velopharyngeal insufficiency.

Xi Wang; Chun-li Guo; Bing Shi; Heng Yin

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Velopharyngeal closure pattern and speech characteristics of patients congenital velopharyngeal insufficiency.

Author: Xi WANG ¹ ; Chun-Li GUO ¹ ; Bing SHI ¹ ; Heng YIN ¹
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1. State Key Laboratory of Oral Diseases & National Clinical Research Center for Oral Diseases & Dept. of Cleft Lip and Palate Surgery, West China Hospital of Stomatology, Sichuan University, Chengdu 610041, China.
Publication Type:Journal Article
Keywords: cleft palate speech; congenital velopharyngeal insufficiency; velopharyngeal closure pattern
MeSH: China; Cleft Palate/surgery*; Humans; Palate, Soft; Pharynx; Retrospective Studies; Speech; Treatment Outcome; Velopharyngeal Insufficiency
From: West China Journal of Stomatology 2020;38(6):662-666
CountryChina
Language:Chinese
Abstract: OBJECTIVE:To analyze velopharyngeal closure patterns and speech characteristics of patients with congenital velopharyngeal insufficiency.
METHODS:Patients visiting the Department of Cleft Lip and Palate Surgery, West China Hospital of Stomatology, Sichuan University between 2009 and 2017 were reviewed. Outcomes of subjective speech evaluation, including resonance, consonant articulation, and correction rate, were analyzed. Furthermore, the mobility of soft palate and pharyngeal walls under nasopharyngeal fiberscope were analyzed retrospectively.
RESULTS:A total of 47 cases were retrieved and subjected to nasopharyngeal fiberscopic examination. Among them, 29 (61.7%) demonstrated a circular closure pattern, 16 (34.0%) showed a coronal pattern, and 2 (4.3%) had a sagittal pattern. Furthermore, 25 (53.2%) presented medium soft-palate mobility, 22 (46.8%) had weak lateral pharyngeal wall mobility, and 41 (87.2%) had no posterior pharyngeal wall mobility. Among all of the patients, 23 (48.9%) presented medium hypernasality, accounting for the highest proportion. Consonant misarticulation occurred in 89.4% of the cases. The articulation manners with the highest correction rate were in the following order: nasal, lateral, fricatives, stops, and affricates. The articulation places with the highest correction rate were in the following order: bilabial, alveolar, velar, and linguadental.
CONCLUSIONS:Circular closure was the most prevalent velopharyngeal closure pattern among patients with congenital velopharyngeal insufficiency, and consonant omission was the most common articulation abnormality.