VentiMask: The Effect of Semi-Occluded Vocal Tract Exercises With a Ventilation Mask in Adults With Inconsistent Velopharyngeal Dysfunction Due to Cleft Palate.
Purpose: Treating mild passive speech errors in adults with a structurally competent velopharyngeal mechanism is challenging. Task-specific interventions that mimic speech conditions may hold potential. This study investigated the effect of semi-occluded vocal tract (SOVT) exercises, namely, water r...
| Publicado en: | Perspectives of the ASHA Special Interest Groups Vol. 11; no. 1; pp. 94 - 119 |
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| Autores principales: | , , , , , |
| Formato: | pictorial research tables/charts Journal Article |
| Publicado: |
American Speech-Language-Hearing Association
Feb2026
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| Acceso en línea: | Ver este registro en EBSCOhost |
| fields | @attributes: recordID: 1 pdfLink: plink: https://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=ccm&AN=191474930&site=ehost-live header: @attributes: shortDbName: ccm uiTerm: 191474930 longDbName: CINAHL Complete uiTag: AN controlInfo: bkinfo: dissinfo: jinfo: jid: 2381473X KTSD jtl: Perspectives of the ASHA Special Interest Groups issn: 2381473X maglogo: N pubinfo: dt: Feb2026 vid: 11 iid: 1 pid: 42 pub: American Speech-Language-Hearing Association place: Rockville, Maryland artinfo: ui: 191474930 191474930 191474930 10.1044/2025_PERSP-25-00165 191474930 ppf: 94 ppct: 25 formats: fmt: @attributes: type: P tig: atl: VentiMask: The Effect of Semi-Occluded Vocal Tract Exercises With a Ventilation Mask in Adults With Inconsistent Velopharyngeal Dysfunction Due to Cleft Palate. aug: au: Alighieri, Cassandra Allemeersch, Fien Meerschman, Iris Pereira, Valerie Hens, Greet D'haeseleer, Evelien affil: Department of Rehabilitation Sciences, Ghent University, Belgium sug: subj: Cleft Palate Physiopathology Velopharyngeal Insufficiency Therapy Speech Disorders Therapy Voice Therapy Methods Oxygen Masks Phonation Speech Intelligibility Evaluation Quality of Life Evaluation Treatment Outcomes Evaluation Human Male Adult Belgium Academic Medical Centers Case Studies Experimental Studies Comparative Studies Descriptive Statistics Persons with Disabilities Airway Management Respiration, Artificial Patient-Reported Outcomes Patient Satisfaction Patient Attitudes Funding Source Adult: 19-44 years Male ab: Purpose: Treating mild passive speech errors in adults with a structurally competent velopharyngeal mechanism is challenging. Task-specific interventions that mimic speech conditions may hold potential. This study investigated the effect of semi-occluded vocal tract (SOVT) exercises, namely, water resistance tube phonation with a ventilation mask, to improve speech and health-related quality of life (HRQoL) in adults with inconsistent velopharyngeal dysfunction (VPD) and mild passive speech errors due to cleft palate. Method: Two male adults (19 and 36 years old) with inconsistent VPD and mild passive speech errors participated in a single-case study to evaluate the effects of a sham intervention (SOVT with a ventilation mask without phonation) versus an active speech intervention (SOVT with a ventilation mask with phonation). The study consisted of five consecutive phases: (1) baseline, (2) sham, (3) withdrawal, (4) active intervention, and (5) maintenance. The active intervention was administered over 2 weeks (five sessions per week, 1 hr per session). Outcomes included (a) perceptual ratings of speech, (b) instrumental nasalance scores, and (c) patient-reported HRQoL. Results: Both participants demonstrated stable baselines across all speech and HRQoL measures during the pre-intervention and sham phases, indicating no effect of the sham intervention. Marked improvements were observed following the active intervention. In both cases, speech understandability and acceptability improved to within normal limits, and passive speech errors were reduced. Additionally, both participants reported clinically meaningful improvements in HRQoL, with sustained benefits observed at the 4-week follow-up. Conclusions: This study provides preliminary evidence that water resistance tube phonation with a ventilation mask is a promising, task-specific intervention for adults with cleft palate who present with inconsistent VPD and mild passive speech errors. Future studies should examine the efficacy of this intervention in larger, randomized controlled trials; explore the role of prior surgical history in treatment responsiveness; and assess long-term outcomes using direct aerodynamic measures. pubtype: Academic Journal doctype: pictorial research tables/charts Journal Article ougenre: Article language: English refInfo: holdings: @attributes: islocal: N |
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