Facial Kinematics of a Speaker with a Palatal Lift Following Brainstem Impairment

This study examined the impact of palatal lift intervention on articulatory kinematics for a speaker with acquired velopharyngeal incompetence (VPI) following brainstem tumor excision. Articulatory adaptations to VPI management may be expected in response to sudden changes in vocal tract adrodynamics and acoustics. This investigation was designed to address the following research qtlestions: (1) Does articulatorv performance change in response to palatal lift intervention? and (2) If so, are the observed perfornance changes in the tlirection of normal speakers? Changes were observed in response to the palatal lift in kinematic measures of cumulative distance, peak speed of movement, and consistency of movement patterns. Changes were most notable in upper lip performance, which appeared to be the result of con"rpensatory adjustments. Although the experimental participant's performance with palatal lift interverrtion became more similar to that of the nondisabled controls. his performance was markedly different on many kinematic parameters.