Movements of articulation and velopharyngeal closure during phonation [ka] [pa] [a] were analyzed with the use of videofluorography in cleft lip and palate children who recived a twostage palatoplasty followed by Perko's mothod. A total of 38 children were assigned to each of the four experimental groups: 12 children before hard palate closure (Group I ), the same children after hard palate closure but not enough speech therapy (Group II), another 13 children who were within one year after achievement of normal speech (Group III), and the other 13 children who were at more than two years later after achievement of normal speech following hard palate closure (Group IV). The re sults shown below were obtained.
1) Consonant articulatory movements were found to have improved following hard palatoplasty surgery. Following the completion of speech therapy, normal or nearly normal articulation movements were obtained.
2) Following hard palatoplasty, velopharyngeal closure was seen in approximately 90 % of the patients. Following the completion of speech therapy, velopharyngeal closure was confirmed in almost all of the patients.
3) Although the articulatory movements and velopharyngeal closure were performed almost simultaneously following hard palatoplasty, the articulatory movements preceded the velopharyngeal closure following the completion of speech therapy.
4) The amount of time required to produce the consonants and the vowel were shortened following hard palatoplasty, and they were further shortened following the completion of speech therapy.
5) During the phonation of the consonants [ka], the approach and separation time of the tongue and soft palate in the group II was shortened more than that in the group I. Furthermore, the approach and separation time of the tongue and soft palate in the group IV was shortened more than in the group
6) The amount of time re quired to complete velopharyngeal closure was clearly shortened by hard palatoplasty.
7) The velopharyngeal-closed length clearly increased following hard palatoplasty. It was also significantly extended in the group IV, to approximately twice that of the group I.
8) Following hard palatoplasty by two-stage palatoplasty according to Perko's method, the results of the videofluorography showed that the articulatory movements and velopharyngeal closure naturally and markedly improved.
They were further improved by speech therapy, and the coordination between the two was found to have increased.
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