Speech Outcome Following Late Primary Palate Repair

Abstract Objective: Early palate repair is recommended to minimize the development of disordered speech. We studied the speech outcome of late palate repair in 131 patients. The success of late palate repair is questioned because of the persistence of learned, compensatory misarticulations that are difficult to correct in spite of the establishment of correct palatal anatomy and a competent velopharyngeal mechanism. The objective of this study is to highlight the speech results following late primary repair of the palate. Settings and Design: Retrospective analysis of speech outcomes in 131 patients with cleft lip and palate who underwent primary palate repair after the age of 10 years between November 2000 and December 2004. None of the patients had received supervised institution-based speech therapy. However, all patients were counseled and oriented and demonstrated the correct place and manner of articulation for the phonemes misarticulated by them. Preoperative and 6- to 12-month postoperative speech...