Abstract
We investigated velopharyngeal function in 25 patients with submucous cleft palate who presented for assessment by the Shizuoka Children's Hospital cleft palate team during the 35 years from 1977 to 2012. These patients had had good velopharyngeal function at preschool age and had not undergone surgery.
We found that:
1) About 1/3 of patients maintained good velopharyngeal function; the remainder showed aggravation or variability of function.
2) There was no significant correlation between the coexistence of other diseases and changes in velopharyngeal function.
3) The average time of deterioration of velopharyngeal function was age 9 years and 7 months, but the time varied greatly (from ages 6 to 16 years) among individuals.
These results suggested the necessity of long-term follow-up.
