Abstract
Twenty-nine patients with non-treated submucous cleft palate referred to our clinic were evaluated by intraoral and instrumental examination, speech analysis, videonasoendoscopy, cephalography and videofluoroscopy.
1) Spee ch analysis Severe hyp ernasality was found in 55.2% of the cases. Six of the 29 patients had adequate velopharyngeal function. Articulation disorders were found in 72.4% of cases, with glottal stop the most frequent, in nine cases.
2) Videonasoendo scopy The contour of the velopharyngeal portal at rest identified by nasoendoscopy was classified as notch, pentagonal, or rectangular. Thirteen patients showed a notch-like contour and 12 showed a pentagonal contour. The remaining four patients showed a rectangular contour. Velopharyngeal closure pattern was also classified as coronal, mixed, circular or sagittal. A coronal closure pattern was observed in 14 individuals, and 11 patients exhibited a mixed closure pattern. Four of the 29 patients showed a circular pattern. None showed a sagittal closure pattern. There was no significant relationship between velopharyngeal closure pattern and velopharyngeal insufficiency.
3) Cephalography The soft palate to pharynx ratio ranged from 0.71 to 1.23. The average ratio was nearly 1.0 in each age group. The soft palate was generally thinner than in normal individuals.
4) Videofluoroscopy The contour of the lateral pharyngeal wall during /i: / phonation was classified into four categories: broad shelf, narrow shelf, vertical or irregular. The degree of lateral pharyngeal wall movement changed during /a:/, /i:/, /pa/, /∫i:/ and /ma/ phonation. The contour of the lateral pharyngeal wall during phonation was found to be generally constant except with /ma/.
