The impact of surgical technique and cleft width on the rate of secondary surgery and velopharyngeal function in children with UCLP at 5 years of age

Several factors may influence speech outcome and the rate of secondary palatal surgery in patients with cleft palate. The aim of this study was to evaluate different types of intra-velar veloplasty within an otherwise uniform surgical protocol. The impact of cleft width and the surgeon’s experience on outcome measurements was examined. This cross-sectional study included 62 individuals with unilateral cleft lip and palate born in 2000–2015. Based on the surgical technique used, they were divided into three groups. The cleft width was measured on dental casts. Blinded speech and language pathologists assessed velopharyngeal function with the composite score for velopharyngeal competence (VPC-Sum) for single words. They rated velopharyngeal function on a three-point scale (VPC-R) in sentences. Target consonants in words were phonetically transcribed. The percentage of correct consonants (PCC) was calculated. Surgical technique was not associated with any outcome. Cleft width was associated with the rate of secondary palatal surgery (OR 1.141, 95% CI 1.021–1.275, p = .020) and velopharyngeal insufficiency when using VPC-R (OR 2.700, 95% CI 1.053–6.919, p = .039) but not when using VPC-Sum (OR 1.985, 95% CI.845–4.662, p = .116). PCC was not associated with cleft width and did not differ between surgical techniques. Radical muscle dissection did not exhibit superiority over intra-velar veloplasty reinforced by the palatopharyngeal muscle. Follow-ups at later ages with larger groups will be necessary to evaluate and compare surgical techniques accurately. Cleft width had a greater impact on the rate of secondary surgery and velopharyngeal function than surgical technique, but neither affected the PCC.