Maxillofac Plast Reconstr Surg.  2015 Jul;37(7):22. 10.1186/s40902-015-0022-4.

Successful and rapid response of speech bulb reduction program combined with speech therapy in velopharyngeal dysfunction: a case report

• Shin YJ
• Ko SO

• KMID: 2381894
• DOI: http://doi.org/10.1186/s40902-015-0022-4

Abstract

Velopharyngeal dysfunction in cleft palate patients following the primary palate repair may result in nasal air emission, hypernasality, articulation disorder and poor intelligibility of speech. Among conservative treatment methods, speech aid prosthesis combined with speech therapy is widely used method. However because of its long time of treatment more than a year and low predictability, some clinicians prefer a surgical intervention. Thus, the purpose of this report was to increase an attention on the effectiveness of speech aid prosthesis by introducing a case that was successfully treated. In this clinical report, speech bulb reduction program with intensive speech therapy was applied for a patient with velopharyngeal dysfunction and it was rapidly treated by 5months which was unusually short period for speech aid therapy. Furthermore, advantages of pre-operative speech aid therapy were discussed.

Keyword

Velopharyngeal dysfunction; VPD; Velopharyngeal insufficiency; Velopharyngeal incompetence; VPI; Speech aid prosthesis; Speech therapy; Speech bulb

MeSH Terms

Articulation Disorders
Cleft Palate
Humans
Methods
Palate
Prostheses and Implants
Speech Therapy*
Velopharyngeal Insufficiency