Patrones de cierre velofaringeo: Estudio comparativo entre población sana y pacientes con paladar hendido

Abstract

The purpose of this study is to define the patterns of velopharyngeal closure described in the literature, and its frequency of appearance in a non-probabilistic sample with healthy volunteers and to compare these findings with the ones obtained in patients with surgically repaired cleft lip and palate. We designed a descriptive study of cross section. The evaluations were made in a fourth level hospital and in the Rehabilitation Centre for Children with Cleft lip and Palate (FISULAB), Santa fe de Bogotá (Colombia). One hundred healthy volunteers (university students) and 82 patients with surgically repaired cleft palate participated in the study. Videonasopharyngoscopy was performed to determine patterns of velopharyngeal closure present and their frequency of appearance. The statistical analysis indicate that there is no difference in the frequency of presentation of the patterns of velopharyngeal closure between healthy volunteers and the patients with cleft palate. In the healthy group, the most frequently found pattern was the circular (56% of the sample), followed by the coronal (29%) and circular with Passavant's ridge (15%). In the group of patients with cleft lip and palate, the circular pattern also prevails (39,02%), followed by the coronal pattern (24,39%), and the circular pattern with Passavant's ridge (19,51%). In neither group was found the sagittal pattern. As a conclusion, there was not any statistical difference in the frequency of presentation of the patterns of velopharyngeal closure between the healthy volunteers and the patients with cleft palate.