Cleft palate surgery at 6 months old more effective than at 12 months

Embargoed until: Publicly released: 2023-08-31 07:00

International

What does this mean?

Jump to: MultimediaAttachmentsExpert Reaction

International scientists say infants with cleft palate who underwent surgery at six months of age were less likely to have unsealed palates at age five than those who had surgery at 12 months. The findings are based on a study of 558 infants from Europe and South America, 281 of whom underwent surgery at six months, and 277 of whom underwent surgery at 12 months. Having an unsealed palate after surgery is called velopharyngeal insufficiency (VPI), which means air escapes from the nose instead of the mouth while talking, potentially leading to speech issues, including nasal speech. Analysing the speech of the infants, 12 in the six-month group (8.9%) showed signs of VPI, while VPI was seen in 34 in the 12-month group (15%).