Speech results in adult Swedish patients born with unilateral complete cleft lip and palate.

Sixty-one adult patients (34 men and 27 women) who were operated on for unilateral complete cleft lip and palate (UCLP) were followed up from 1996-2001 by clinical investigation, perceptual speech analysis, and self-estimation of quality of speech. Thirty-four had had a von Langenbeck repair at the age of 8 months (L-8 group), and 27 a Wardill repair at the age of 18 months (W-18 group). Statistical comparisons were made by univariate and multiple logistic regression analyses. The L-8 group had a slightly better general outcome but at the expense of a greater incidence of velopharyngeal flaps. There was no significant difference in hypernasality, being 7/34 (21%) of the patients in the L-8 group, compared with 9/27 (33%) in the W-18 group. Compared with findings reported previously of patients with isolated cleft palate (CP) who were treated and investigated under the same circumstances, the speech outcome in the group with UCLP was found to be significantly better.