Predictors of velopharyngeal insufficiency after Le Fort I maxillary advancement in patients with cleft palate.

PURPOSE: Approximately 25% to 40% of patients with cleft lip/palate develop maxillary retrusion that requires Le Fort I osteotomy. Maxillary advancement brings the soft palate forward, and this may cause velopharyngeal insufficiency (VPI). The goal of this study was to identify predictors that place patients with repaired cleft palate at risk of developing VPI after Le Fort I advancement.

MATERIALS AND METHODS: This was a retrospective study of nonsyndromic patients with cleft lip/palate who had a Le Fort I osteotomy between 2000 and 2008. Charts were reviewed and data were collected on patient characteristics, preoperative speech assessments, and nasopharyngoscopic reports. Pre- and postoperative cephalometric radiographs were used to measure maxillary advancement and to assess the structure of the velopharynx. Simple logistic regression analysis examined the association between each predictive variable and postoperative VPI, as indicated by need for pharyngeal flap. Predictors with P ≤ .10 were included in the multivariate regression model. In both the univariate and the multivariate analyses, P ≤ .05 was considered statistically significant.

RESULTS: Univariate analysis showed a significant association between preoperative soft palatal length and need for a pharyngeal flap (P = .005). By multivariate analysis, both preoperative soft palatal length and postoperative pharyngeal depth were associated with need for pharyngeal flap (P = .003 and P = .030).

CONCLUSION: This study shows that a short soft palate is associated with VPI after Le Fort I osteotomy. Assessment of palatal length and pharyngeal depth on cephalometric radiographs is helpful in predicting postoperative VPI and need for a pharyngeal flap in patients with cleft palate after maxillary advancement.