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Purpose: This study aimed to evaluate the efficiency of the porcine tongue for palatoplasty simulation compared to 3D-printed simulators and their surgical education role., Materials and Methods: A total of 18 senior cleft surgeons participated in a palatoplasty simulation-based workshop conducted using porcine tongue simulators and 3D-printed simulators. This workshop consisted of a didactic session followed by a hands-on simulation session. Each participant independently used both simulators to perform Furlow double-opposing Z-plasty, which was assessed and scored by senior cleft surgeons using a scoring system including organizational flexibility and ductility, anatomical design simulation, proper incision, proper suturing, and convenience of operation. A paired t test was used for data statistical analysis and a P value < 0.05 was regarded as a statistically significant difference., Results: All senior cleft surgeons strongly agreed that the simulation-based workshop was a valuable learning experience, and both simulators were useful and easy to manipulate (P = 1.00). The results of this comparative study showed that a porcine tongue palatoplasty simulator had an effectively significant difference in terms of organizational flexibility and ductility (P = 0.04), and suturing was better than the 3D-printed palatoplasty simulator (P < 0.01). There were no significant differences between the simulators regarding anatomical design simulation (P = 0.76) and incision simulation (P = 0.65)., Conclusion: Both porcine tongue simulator and 3D-printed simulator have their unique strengths in surgical education for palatoplasty. Thus, the combined use of a porcine tongue and a 3D-printed cleft palate simulators are efficient as an educational model to practice Furlow double-opposing Z- palatoplasty. The porcine tongue simulators are superior in terms of organizational flexibility, ductility, and suturing simulators, while with the 3D-printed simulator, various palatoplasty techniques can be repeatedly practiced with better-simulated face and oral cavity., (© 2023. BioMed Central Ltd., part of Springer Nature.)

Objective: Patients with a cleft palate often experience a velopharyngeal dysfunction known as velopharyngeal insufficiency (VPI). The purpose of this study was to examine the development of velopharyngeal function (VPF) following primary palatoplasty and the factors that are linked to it., Methods: A retrospective study was conducted to examine the medical records of patients who had cleft palate, with or without cleft lip (CP ± L) and underwent palatoplasty at a Tertiary Affiliated Hospital between 2004 and 2017. Postoperative evaluation of VPF was conducted at two follow-up times (T1, T2) and was classified as either normal VPF, mild VPI, or moderate/severe VPI. The consistency of VPF evaluations between the two time points was then assessed, and patients were categorized into either the consistent or inconsistent group. The study collected and analyzed data on gender, cleft type, age at operation, follow-up duration, and speech records., Results: The study included 188 patients with CP ± L. Out of these, 138 patients (73.4%) showed consistent VPF evaluations, while 50 patients (26.6%) showed inconsistent VPF evaluations. Among those with VPI at T1 (91 patients), 36 patients (39.6%) had normal VPF at T2. The rate of VPI decreased from 48.40% at T1 to 27.13% at T2, whereas the rate of normal VPF increased from 44.68% at T1 to 68.09% at T2. The consistent group had a significantly younger age at operation (2.90 ± 3.82 vs 3.68 ± 4.02), a longer duration of T1 (1.67 ± 0.97 vs 1.04 ± 0.59), and a lower comprehensive score of speech performance (1.86 ± 1.27 vs 2.60 ± 1.07) than the inconsistent group., Conclusions: It has been verified that there are changes in the development of VPF over time. Patients who underwent palatoplasty at a younger age were more likely to have confirmed VPF diagnosis at the first evaluation. The duration of follow-up was identified as a critical factor that affects the confirmation of VPF diagnosis., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest All authors whose names are listed immediately below certify that they have no affiliations with or involvement in any organization or entity with any financial (such as honoraria; educational grants; participation in speakers' bureaus; membership, employment, consultancies, stock ownership, or other equity interest; and expert testimony or patent-licensing arrangements), or non-financial interest (such as personal or professional relationships, affiliations, knowledge or beliefs) in the subject matter or materials discussed in the current manuscript. The ethical approval for our project was obtained from the Institutional Ethics Committee of the school of stomatology, Sichuan University., (Copyright © 2023 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

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 > −.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 test–retest 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 and construct validity of the Chinese version of the VELO instrument. A VELO score ≥79.04 (in parent version) or ≥85.77 (in youth version) mostly reflects proper speech‐related quality of life. Hence, this instrument could serve as a simple tool to help clinicians understand the social, emotional, and physical influences of VPI. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This document is a correction notice for an article titled "Two cleft palate simulators of Furlow double-opposing Z-palatoplasty: a comparative study" published in BMC Surgery. The correction states that there was an error in Figure 1 of the original article, and provides a corrected version of the figure. The correction notice also lists the authors of the original article. [Extracted from the article]