THE CORRELATION BETWEEN TRAINING AND SKILL OF THE SURGEON AND REOPERATION RATE FOR PERSISTENT CLEFT-PALATE SPEECH

The correlation between the surgeons training and skill and the speech after primary repair was tested using the reoperation rate as a measu re for success in 439 cleft palate/cleft lip and palate (CP/CLP) patie nts operated at the average age of 22 months by 4 specialists and 4 re sidents. The reoperation rate for residents was 11-60% (av. 36) and fo r specialists 13-31% (av. 19). The relative reoperation rates in CP/CL P mere 20/19% for specialists but 35/38% residents. In groups consisti ng of the four with the best (A) and the four with the worst results ( B) the reoperations rate in group A was 16% for CP and 13% for CLP, bu t in group B 37/44%. As the residents became specialists, the degree o f their improvement varied greatly. Thus both the training and skill a re important for the patients speech, but they are not necessarily syn onymous terms.