Velopharyngeal Insufficiency Effects on Life Outcome Scores and Decision-Making for Secondary Speech Surgery after Palatoplasty

Key Points

• The study aims to assess how velopharyngeal insufficiency affects quality of life and subsequent decisions regarding surgery after palatoplasty.
• Administration of the VELO instrument to measure quality of life.
• Clinical evaluations to assess hypernasality.
• Longitudinal analysis of patient decisions regarding surgery.
• Patients with unaffected quality of life may not seek additional management for hypernasality.
• Combining VELO assessments with clinical evaluations can better identify patients needing surgery.