Correlation of Velopharyngeal Score in Nasoendoscopy with Perceptual Speech Intelligibility of Patients with Cleft Palate

Background and Objective: One of the challenges patients with cleft palate face is the production of intelligible speech. Though instrumental assessment of velopharyngeal function is required, there is a need to correlate the results obtained with speech outcome. The objective of this study is to correlate the Golding-Kushner scale scoring system for velopharyngeal defects as observed on nasoendoscopy with patients’ speech intelligibility. Method: The design is an observational cross-sectional study conducted from December 2022 to May 2023. This study was carried out at the orofacial cleft clinic of a tertiary hospital. Participants: The study included English-speaking patients with cleft palate who had palatorrhaphy done at least 6 months before recruitment. Intervention: Speech intelligibility was measured using a simple analog scale that ranged from 0 to 5 (0—worst speech intelligibility possible, 5—best speech intelligibility). The Golding-Kushner scale is used to measure gap size (defect) in nasoendoscopy. Main outcome measures: The primary outcome is to correlate the score of speech intelligibility with the Golding-Kushner score during nasoendoscopy. Results: A total of 40 people participated in the study, with a median age of 11 years (IQR: 6.25-21.75 years). There is a moderately negative correlation between velopharyngeal gap size and speech intelligibility (correlation coefficient = −0.6, P < .01). Only the size of the size of the gap is a significant predictor of speech intelligibility after cleft palate repair. Conclusion: There is a significant, moderate correlation between velopharyngeal gap size and speech intelligibility.