Cleft Lip & Palate Flashcards
Cleft
an abnormal opening in an anatomic structure
Cleft Lip/Palate
Occurs in utero and is a disruption to embryological development
Clefts are due to delayed migration of neural crest cells
Cleft lip – opening in the lip
Cleft palate – opening in the palate
Individuals with cleft palate without cleft lip are more likely to have other malformations
Cleft lip and/or cleft palate is associated with hundreds of syndromes
Craniofacial anomaly
– structural abnormality of the cranium (skull) and/or face
Embryonic Development of the Lip and Alveolus
– development begins at 6-7 weeks gestation
Development begins at the incisive foramen and moves forward to the alveolus closing along the incisive suture lines
Next, the base of the nose and then the upper lip fuse
The upper lip consists of two segments which fuse together to form the philtrum and philtrum lines
Embryonic Development of the Hard and Soft Palate
Palate development begins at 8-9 weeks gestation
At 7-8 weeks gestation the tongue begins to move down from the nasal cavity
At this time, the palate starts to close
Palate closure begins at the incisive foramen and moves posteriorly (back) along the median palatine suture line
Uvula and velum close at 12 weeks gestation
Oral Anatomy
Hard palate – separates the nasal and oral cavities
Formed by – the palatine process of the maxillary bone & horizontal part of the palatine bone
Anatomical landmarks:
- Incisive foramen
- Posterior nasal spine
- Vomer
- Incisive suture lines
- Alveolus
Soft Palate Anatomy
At rest sits against base of tongue
Has an oral surface and a nasal surface
Uvula has no known function
Pharynx
Area between the nasal cavity and esophagus
Pharyngeal wall – have a posterior and lateral portion
- Posterior pharyngeal wall (PPW)- posterior (back) portion of throat
- Lateral pharyngeal wall (LPW) – side of throat
Divided into:
- Nasopharynx– nasal cavity to velum
- Oropharynx– oral cavity to epiglottis
- Hypopharynx– epiglottis to esophagus
Eustachian Tube
Connects middle ear to pharynx
Closed at rest
Opens during yawning and swallowing
Function: pressure regulation (air and fluid)
Levator veli palatini
pulls the velum up and back
Palatopharyngeus
pulls the lateral pharyngeal walls upward and medially
Superior constrictor
constricts the pharyngeal walls against the velum
Tensor veli palatini
opens the Eustachian tube
Resonance
vibration of sound energy throughout cavities and tracts
Can be disrupted with cleft palate
Speech Valves
3 valves contribute to the acoustic properties of voice; These valves can change in shape and size
Glottis – space between vocal folds
Vocal tract – glottis through pharynx to oral cavity
Velopharyngeal closure – separates nasal cavity from vocal tract
Constriction of the lips and tongue - articulation
Velopharyngeal valve
directs and redirects sound energy
All vowels and oral consonants produced with velopharyngeal closure
4 types of closure patterns – all types include PPW, LPW, and velar movement
Coronal Velopharyngeal Valve Closure Pattern
most common pattern
Velum moves up and back (like a bending knee), touching the PPW
PPW may move forward
LPWs move medially to touch the velum (movement is minimal)
Circular Velopharyngeal Valve Closure Pattern
second most common pattern
All velopharyngeal structures move
Velum moves posterior, lateral walls move medially, and PPW moves anterior
Circular with Passavant’s Ridge Velopharyngeal Valve Closure Pattern
Passavant’s ridge occurs in typical and atypical speakers
Superior constrictor muscle constricts creating a ridge on the PPW
Sagittal Velopharyngeal Valve Closure Pattern
least common pattern
Lateral walls move medially to meet midline behind the velum
Minimal velar movement
Velar Movement Summary
Velum moves up and back to close velopharyngeal valve during speech
-Also when you sing, vomit, whistle, gag, and suck
Velum bends like a knee but also stretches to reach PPW
Lateral walls move medially to touch velum
PPW moves anterior to meet velum
All movements vary by person
Velopharyngeal insufficiency
velum is too short to close against the PPW
Results in hypernasal resonance because of a STRUCTURAL deficit