Velopharyngeal incompetence and chromosome 22q11 deletion

Chromosome 22q11 deletion gives rise to various phenotypes, including cardiac malformations, velopharyngeal abnormalities, absent thymus, and neurological defects. We assessed, in a prospective study, chromosome 22q11 deletion in 50 of 144 patients with velopharyngeal incompetence in the absence of overt clefting. 18 (12·5% of the whole cohort and 36% of patients tested for the deletion) had the 22q11 deletion. This frequency differs from an estimated population prevalence of 0·025% and suggests a need for screening for the 22q11 deletion in these patients.