title: [Assessment of velopharyngeal status of postoperative cleft palate patients in silent mode by visual analog scale].
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To evaluate the velopharyngeal status of cleft palate patients after operation in silent mode by visual analog scale.
  
  
  METHODS
  A total of 82 patients with cleft lip and palate after operation were examined by nasopharyngeal fiber endoscopy with 11 voice samples. The velopharyngeal status was evaluated by three experienced experts using qualitative method and visual analog scale (VAS) method in silent mode. The Spearman correlation relationship was analyzed between VAS value and qualitative grade. The VAS value range of 10 non-nasal consonant voice samples was divided according to qualitative classification.
  
  
  RESULTS
  VAS values could accurately reflect the outcome of the qualitative classification. The poorer the velopharyngeal status was, the lower the VAS value, and vice versa. The whole effectiveness of value range was greater than 70%.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  VAS values can accurately reflect the outcome of the qualitative classification about velopharyngeal function, and VAS value grading velopharyngeal status is reliable. This study proposed VAS values range standards for different velopharyngeal qualitative classification.
authors.affiliation: Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, Peking University School and Hospital of Stomatology, Beijing 100081, China.
authors.forename: Tao
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Gao
authors.forename: Lian
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Ma
authors.forename: Yi
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Luo
authors.forename: Yong-gang
authors.initials: YG
authors.lastname: Sun
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D002972:Cleft Palate / Q000150:complications / Q000503:physiopathology* / Q000601:surgery; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D011184:Postoperative Period; D014681:Velopharyngeal Insufficiency / Q000209:etiology / Q000503:physiopathology*; D064232:Visual Analog Scale; D055815:Young Adult