Distribution of Specialties Providing Surgical Management of Cleft-Related Speech Disorders in Children 3 years of Age and Older: 2004 to 2021

Given the overlap in specialties performing secondary correction of velopharyngeal incompetence (VPI), the present study investigated the specialty distribution for surgical providers of cleft care from 2004 to 2021. Data were obtained from 45 hospitals from 2004 to 2021 through the Pediatric Health Information System database. Cases of secondary surgical management of VPI were retrieved, identifying the year of surgery and specialty of the providing surgeon. A total of 7090 procedures were included in this study, of which 36.0% were secondary palatoplasty/lengthening, 34.1% were sphincter pharyngoplasty, and 29.8% were pharyngeal flap. Secondary management of VPI was performed by plastic surgeons (67%), otolaryngologists (31%), and oral and maxillofacial surgeons (OMFS, 12%). Palatal revision and/or lengthening procedures were the most common secondary procedure performed by plastic surgeons (42%) and OMFS (64%), whereas sphincter pharyngoplasty was the most common procedure performed by otolaryngologists (55%; P <0.001). The proportion of sphincter pharyngoplasty performed by plastic surgeons significantly decreased from 2017-2021 ( P <0.05). Plastic surgeons performed most procedures for secondary management of VPI from 2004 to 2021, followed by otolaryngologists and OMFS. The type of procedure selected for secondary management of VPI differed significantly between the provider's specialty, with otolaryngologists more likely to perform sphincter pharyngoplasty.