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. 2016 Dec 15;4(4):674-679.
doi: 10.3889/oamjms.2016.137. Epub 2016 Dec 9.

The Role of the Velopharyngeal Sphincter in the Speech of Patients with Cleft Palate or Cleft Lip and Palate Using Perceptual Methods

Tatjana Georgievska-Jancheska  1 , Juliana Gjorgova  2 , Mirjana Popovska  2
Affiliations

The Role of the Velopharyngeal Sphincter in the Speech of Patients with Cleft Palate or Cleft Lip and Palate Using Perceptual Methods

Tatjana Georgievska-Jancheska et al. Open Access Maced J Med Sci. .

Abstract

Background: The velopharyngeal sphincter (VPS) plays the main role in speech formation. The cleft palate, due to the damage of the soft palate, leads to dysfunction of the velopharyngeal sphincter thus causing speech disorder.

Aim: To establish a link between the nasal air escape and the perceptual symptoms in the speech of patients with cleft palate or cleft lip and palate using auditory-visual perceptual procedures for determining the influence the velopharyngeal dysfunction has on speech.

Material and methods: Twenty patients with speech disorders, out of which 10 have cleft palate or cleft lip and palate (experimental group), participated in the perceptual assessment by means of Czermak mirror fogging test for assessing the nasal air escape and Pittsburgh Weighted Speech Scale (PWSS) for assessing the probable nature of the velopharyngeal sphincter.

Results: The respondents with a considerable nasal air escape have a higher velopharyngeal inability, that is, probably incompetent nature of the velopharyngeal sphincter. There is a strong correlation between the nasal air escape and the probable nature of the velopharyngeal sphincter (the coefficient of linear correlation r = 0.9756). The calculated p-value is p = 0.000002.

Conclusion: The perceptual speech symptoms and the nasal air escape provide unique insight into the state and role the velopharyngeal sphincter has in speech.

Keywords: Czermak mirror fogging test; PWSS; cleft palate; velopharyngeal dysfunction; velopharyngeal sphincter.

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Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Administering the mirror fogging test
Figure 2
Figure 2
Rating the degree of the respondent’s nasal air escape evaluated with the Czermak’s test
Figure 3
Figure 3
Correlation between the score from the PWSS and level of air nasal escape
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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