Abstract
Sixty-five patients were treated with pharyngeal flap operation of Hirano method during the 13 and half years from November, 1969 to April, 1983. In 40 patients of these 65, we evaluated velopharyngeal function by means of 6 methods which employed soft blowing or speech sound production. The results are as followes:
1. The velopharyngeal function was good in 22 (55%), fair in 8 (20%) and poor in 10 patients (25%) .
2. Most of those patients who underwent flap operation in young ages (younger than 10 years) presented with a good velopharyngeal function whereas those who had flap surgery in older ages often showed an incompetent velopharyngeal closure.
3. The velopharyngeal function did not depend on the type of cleft and the contrast between primary or secondary flap operation.
4. There were significantly positive relationships among the results of the 6 tests.
5. The velopharyngeal function evaluated in the present study appeared to reflect not only the anatomical potential function but also the behavioral skill in blowing or in speech sound production.
