How does velopharyngeal incompetence do?

summary

Velopharyngeal incompetence is caused by the soft palate or pharyngeal wall lesions, which can not be closed normally. Among them, congenital cleft palate is the most common. Velopharyngeal incompetence is the most common cause of speech disorders or abnormal speech in patients with cleft palate. After palatoplasty, 5% ~ 44% of the cleft palate patients can not achieve complete velopharyngeal closure, and can not obtain satisfactory speech effect. Next, I'd like to share with you what to do with velopharyngeal incompetence?. Hope to help you.

How does velopharyngeal incompetence do?

First, for mild patients, we can increase the movement of soft palate through velopharyngeal closure function training and language training, and achieve good results.

Second, severe symptoms need surgical treatment. After the operation, with the training of velopharyngeal closure function and language therapy, we can get more ideal results. Language therapy can't replace surgery, and surgery can't replace language therapy. Usually, velopharyngeal closure can be formed after surgery, most patients do not need long-term voice training, as long as the patient is active, seriously practice pronunciation, singing, reading, up to 3 ~ 6 months can obtain good language function.

Third, 5% - 44% of the patients after cleft palate repair have incomplete velopharyngeal closure (insufficient length of soft palate, ectopic soft palate muscles and scar formation, shortened webbed pharyngopalatal arch can affect the soft palate lifting, too wide pharyngeal cavity causes relatively insufficient length of soft palate, which are the causes of velopharyngeal insufficiency after cleft palate repair); Soft palate lesions such as soft palate paralysis make the soft palate unable to move upward and backward to contact with the posterior pharyngeal wall; Soft palate defect and scar contracture, tumor destruction or surgical resection of a part of the soft palate, trauma, tuberculosis, ulcer, nonspecific inflammation and so on make soft palate scar contracture. Posterior pharyngeal wall lesions, such as paralysis of pharyngeal constrictor, after proliferator surgery, pharyngeal wall tumor and inflammatory lesions, destroy the pharyngeal wall and cannot contract forward to narrow the pharyngeal cavity; All of these can lead to velopharyngeal incompetence.

matters needing attention

The function of velopharyngeal closure can be trained by blowing balloon, harmonica and air bubble at home.