Speech results after bilateral osteotomy surgery for cleft palate: a review of 413 patients.

Patients records of those who had received the bilateral osteotomy surgical procedure for cleft palate were studied. There were 413 records available for review. Patients evaluated by a speech/language pathologist numbered 226. The other 137 patients were evaluated either by a school speech/language pathologist or by the plastic surgeon. An additional 50 records could not be used. Patients were 18 to 24 months through 35 years of age. The results revealed that 81.5 percent of the patients demonstrated normal or near normal resonance quality. Two additional positive aspects of the procedure are that the risk of postpuberty maxillary retrusion is reduced, and palatal length is increased. It is, however, a disadvantage that considerable training and experience are essential in order that the surgeon can successfully use the osteotomy. Based on a review of the literature and findings of this study, it appears that the speech results for bilateral osteotomy palate closure are comparable with and in some cases better than the results reported on smaller populations.