What is velopharyngeal insufficiency or incompetence (VPI)?
Functional or congenital deficiency in the superior constrictor muscle or soft palate leading to escape of air, liguid, or food from the oropharynx into the nasopharynx or nose when the nasopharynx should be closed by approximation of the soft palate and pharyngeal tissues (Singular’s Pocket Dictionary of Speeck-Language Pathology). In other words the soft palate is either too short or too weak to close of the oral cavity from the nasal cavity when eating, drinking or articulating most sounds. Individuals with VPI may sound very nasal when talking.
