Objective: Assessment of the hypothesized correlation between the Chinese Velopharyngeal Insufficiency (VPI) Effects on Life Outcomes (VELO) instrument and measured speech parameters. Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted in the Oral Clefts Center of West China Hospital of Stomatology between January 2019 and December 2019. Speech parameters including speech intelligibility deficit, VPI severity, VP gap, and need for speech therapy were evaluated by speech-language pathologists. All patients and their parents completed the VELO instrument. The correlation between aforementioned speech parameters and VELO scores was examined utilizing Spearman correlation coefficients. The reliability of VELO test-retest and parent proxy assessment was estimated utilizing intraclass correlation coefficients (ICC). A receiver operating characteristic curve was used to calculate the cutoff VELO score. Results: One hundred and forty patients with their parents were enrolled. The mean age was 12.58 ± 3.72 years. Both parent and youth VELO total and domain scores recorded moderate to strong correlations with all speech parameters (r > À.40, P < .001) except the swallowing domain. Most VELO domain items have shown significant correlations with at least one speech parameter. Moreover, the scales of all speech parameters showed different VELO scores (P < .001). The ICC reported testretest correlation >.73 in all domains, and parent proxy correlation >.63 in most domains except the emotional and perception domains. The cutoff VELO score was 79.04 in parent version and 85.77 in youth version. Conclusions:The correlations between VELO scores and measured speech parameters have provided evidence for test-retest and parent proxy reliability and criterion

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Background: Several methods for cleft lip repair have been developed over time, with no clear method considered the standard. In the authors' department, the use of a modified rotation-advancement technique rather than the traditional rotation-advancement technique in unilateral complete cleft lip repair has increased over the past decade. This study aimed to determine which technique provides better outcomes. Methods: This retrospective study was conducted by analyzing the preoperative and postoperative aesthetic nasal and labial anthropometric measurements of the frontal and basal views of 213 consecutive patients treated between October of 2013 and June of 2019. A total of 141 participants were treated with the traditional rotation-advancement technique, and 72 with the modified rotationadvancement technique. The inclusion criteria were nonsyndromic unilateral complete cleft lip repair with high-resolution, good-quality photographs; no presurgical nasoalveolar molding; no revision in the lip or nose areas; and at least 1 year of follow-up. Result: Patients who received the modified rotation-advancement technique had significantly improved Cupid's bow position and orientation (P < 0.02 and P < 0.01, respectively) and enhanced vertical lip height symmetry (P < 0.01) while preserving the lip width. The columellar length (P < 0.03) and angulation (P < 0.045) were also significantly improved, with enhanced nostril inclination in this group (P < 0.06). Conclusions: According to the findings of the current study, modified rotation-advancement technique assisted surgeons in improving symmetrical leveling of the Cupid's bow and significantly aided in correcting lip height without compromising lip width. Moreover, the modified rotation-advancement technique resulted in better aesthetic nasal outcomes.

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