ABSTRACT
In this prospective study, a new technique in the repair of cleft palate utilizing the uvular tissue to lengthen the palate was done. This technique was done not only to achieve the anatomical repair of the palate, but also to determine the improvement of speech outcome as measured objectively by a speech pathologist. In the uvular transposition procedure, the palate was lengthened with tissue from the uvular by a double-opposing Z-plasty, an intravelar veloplasty was performed and most of the uvular mass, about 2/3, was transposed to the nasal surface of the soft palate. The study was carried out at the Pediatric Surgery Unit, Faculty of Medicine, Al-Azhar University from January 1999 to December 2002 to evaluate the speech outcome by using the uvular double opposing Z-plasty in the repair of cleft palate. Forty children, aging from 1-2 years old, with a complete cleft palate were treated by this procedure. Then, the children were enrolled for follow up programming and blindly evaluated every six months. Perceptual nasal emission was found to be normal in 38 of the 40 children. Nasometry was performed in all 40 children. Only one child of these patients required pharyngeal flap for velopharyngeal dysfunction. Also, one child was improved by training at the Phonetic Unit by a specialist, where no more surgery was done