Culture and the Intraoral Exam: The Uvulectomy

Catherine Crowley and Miriam Baigorri of Teachers College Columbia University developed the “Building Capacity: The Cleft Palate Speech Training Project” for local professionals to begin to acquire the academic and clinical skills needed to provide quality services to children with cleft lip and palate.

Cleft Palate (Spanish)- Good Articulation in Sentences/ Paladar Hendido- Buena Articulación en Frases

Cleft Palate (Spanish)- Good Articulation in Sentences/ Paladar Hendido- Buena Articulación en Frases

Here we can see a 12 year old girl who demonstrates good placement of the tongue and articulator, noticeable when the nose is closed so that air cannot escape that way and her speech becomes much more intelligible. Aquí vemos una niña de 12 años con buena articulación. Se ve cuando se cierra las narices para que no pueda escapar aire así y se puede entender su habla perfectamente.

Endoscopy: Pharyngeal Flap

In this video we can see a child who has had a “pharyngeal flap” procedure done to correct velopharyngeal incompetence (VPI). This has made a significant difference in the child’s speech.

Endoscopy: Velopharyngeal Incompetence

Here we can see a child who has poor velopharyngeal closure (velopharyngeal incompetence) because of scarring due to cleft palate. Child can close from the sides but not from the center, this will require surgery to correct.