[The evaluation of the Chinese intelligibility of patients with velopharyngeal incompetence].
OBJECTIVE
To study the Chinese intelligibility of patients with velopharyngeal incompetence (VPI).


METHODS
100 patients with VPI and 32 normal students were selected for this study. Of 10 patients, 15 with cleft palate, 21 with congenital velopharyngeal incompetence, 56 with post-palatoplasty VPI and 8 with post-pharyngoplasty VPI. Chinese intelligibility was measured by three speech pathologists and relation between degree of abnormal articulation and Chinese intelligibility were studied.


RESULTS
Chinese intelligibility of the controls was 99.0% and the patients with VPI were 35.2%. Of the patients, the cleft palate was 19.9%, the congenital velopharyngeal incompetence was 32.8%, the post-palatoplasty VPI was 40.3% and the post-pharyngoplasty VPI was 35.2%. The data showed obvious difference among the controls and sub-types of VPI (P < 0.01).


CONCLUSIONS
(1) Chinese intelligibility of VPI accompanied with hypernasality is worse. (2) Of misarticulation of VPI, the cleft palate is the worst, in turn the others are the congenital velopharyngeal incompetence, the post-pharyngoplasty VPI and the post-palatoplasty VPI.
Chen
Yang
Y
Craniofacial Center, School of Stomatology, Shanghai Second Medical University, Shanghai 200011, China.
Wang
Guo-min
GM
Yu
Li-ying
LY
Wu
Yi-lai
YL
Tian
Xian-fen
XF
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D001184:Articulation Disorders / Q000209:etiology*; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D002972:Cleft Palate / Q000150:complications*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D013062:Speech Articulation Tests; D014681:Velopharyngeal Insufficiency / Q000150:complications*; D014833:Voice Quality