2024 Volume 40 Issue 2 Pages 58-62
This study focused on the long-term evaluation of velopharyngeal closure（VPC）in patients with submucous cleft palate（SMCP）who were diagnosed and treated during early childhood.
Subjects：Seven SMCP patients were treated surgically, and all were free from other complications. Five patients underwent only Furlow’s double opposing Z plasty （Furlow plasty), and the other two received Furlow plasty and pharyngeal flap simultaneously.
Results：Although all patients showed improvement of VPC after the surgery, some showed a gradual decline of VPC at around 10 years old. All had received speech therapy and showed improvement of speech language, but the progress of articulation among the patients was variable.
Conclusion：SMCP tends to be diagnosed later compared with other types of cleft palate, and the age at surgery is considered to be one of the important factors determining VPC and speech language improvement. Thus, if a patient is around 6 years old and suffers from poor VPC and /or articulation problems, it is recommended to initiate appropriate treatment as soon as possible. Furthermore, it is important to continually follow-up patients in order not to miss VPC declines throughout the growth period.
