Speech intelligibility after primary palatoplasty: listener impression

• Grant number: 12/19715-7
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Scientific Initiation
• Effective date (Start): February 01, 2013
• Effective date (End): December 31, 2013
• Field of knowledge: Health Sciences - Speech Therapy
• Principal Investigator: Ana Paula Fukushiro
• Grantee: Mariana Lopes Andreoli
• Host Institution: Hospital de Reabilitação de Anomalias Craniofaciais (HRAC). Universidade de São Paulo (USP). Bauru , SP, Brazil

Abstract

Primary palatoplasty is the procedure employed for the anatomic and functional reconstruction of the palatal structures with the goal of providing adequate sealing between the nasal and oral cavities during speech. However, residual symptoms may persist after surgery, characterizing the speech disorders. The objective of the present study is to assess the speech intelligibility in cleft palate subjects submitted to primary palatoplasty, according to the perceptual judgment of five examiners, experienced or not in cleft lip and palate management. Speech recordings (audiovisual system) of, at least, 60 patients with repaired cleft palate, both genders, aged from 4-year submitted to primary palatoplasty will be analyzed. The speech intelligibility will be classified by five different examiners using a three-point scale (1=good, 2 =regular, and 3=bad). The interexaminer agreement will be verified by the Kappa coefficient. The surgical success will be analyzed descriptively regarding the patient's proportions according to the postoperative intelligibility and the significance between the differences will be verified by the Qui-square test (p