Cleft palate Health Dictionary

The partition between the cavity of the mouth, below, and that of the nose, above. It consists of the hard palate towards the front, which is composed of a bony plate covered below by the mucous membrane of the mouth, above by that of the nose; and of the soft palate further back, in which a muscular layer, composed of nine small muscles, is similarly covered. The hard palate extends a little further back than the wisdom teeth, and is formed by the maxillary and palate bones. The soft palate is concave towards the mouth and convex towards the nose, and it ends behind in a free border, at the centre of which is the prolongation known as the uvula. When food or air is passing through the mouth, as in the acts of swallowing, coughing, or vomiting, the soft palate is drawn upwards so as to touch the back wall of the throat and shut o? the cavity of the nose. Movements of the soft palate, by changing the shape of the mouth and nose cavities, are important in the production of speech.... palate

A rare congenital abnormality characterised by the absence of one or more toes and a deep central cleft that divides the foot into two. It is sometimes known as lobster foot, or lobster claw. It may be accompanied by other congenital defects, such as CLEFT HAND, absent permanent teeth, CLEFT PALATE (and/or lip), absence of the nails, and defects of the eye.... cleft foot

A rare congenital abnormality characterised by the absence of one or more ?ngers and a deep central cleft that divides the hand into two. It is sometimes known as lobster hand. It may be accompanied by other congenital defects, such as CLEFT FOOT, absent permanent teeth, CLEFT PALATE (and/or lip), absence of the nails and defects of the eye.... cleft hand

The commonest deformity of the PALATE is cleft palate, which is a result of faulty embryonic development in which the two sides of the palate fail to fuse or only fuse in part. If the cleft extends the full length with bilateral clefts at the front of the MAXILLA, it may be accompanied by a cleft lip (also called hare-lip) and disruption in the development of the front teeth. About 1 in 500 babies is born with a cleft lip and 1 in 1,000 has a cleft palate. If the parents are affected, the risk is three times that of the normal population; if one child has a deformity, the risk for a subsequent child is higher. Associated abnormalities include tongue tie, malpositioning of the MANDIBLE and ?uid in the middle EAR.

Cleft palate and hare-lip should be recti?ed by operation, because both are a serious drawback to feeding in early life – while later, harelip is a great dis?gurement, and the voice may be affected. The lip may be dealt with at any time from the neonatal period to a few weeks, depending on the individual surgeon’s view of when the best result is likely to be achieved. Prior to operation, special techniques may be necessary to ensure adequate feeding such as the use of special teats in formula-fed babies. The closure of a large cleft in the palate is a more formidable operation and is better performed when the face has grown somewhat, perhaps at 6–12 months. The operations performed vary greatly in details, but all consist in paring the edges of the gap and drawing the soft parts together across it.

Further operations may be required over the years to improve the appearance of the nose and lip, to make sure that teeth are even, and to improve speech.

Parents of such children can obtain help and advice from the Cleft Lip and Palate Association (CLAPA).... palate, malformations of

A split in the upper lip and/or palate that is present at birth. Cleft lip is a vertical, usually off-centre split in the upper lip that may be a small notch or may extend to the nose. The upper gum may also be cleft, and the nose may be crooked. The term

hare lip refers only to a midline cleft lip, which is rare. Cleft palate is a gap that may extend from the back of the palate to behind the teeth and be open to the nasal cavity. Cleft palate is often accompanied by partial deafness and there may be other birth defects.

Surgery to repair a cleft lip may be undertaken in the first few days after birth or at about 3 months.

It improves appearance; after repair, speech defects are rare.

A cleft palate is usually repaired at about 12 months, but further surgery, orthodontic treatment, and speech therapy may be required.... cleft lip and palate

see pharyngeal cleft.... branchial cleft

(harelip) the congenital deformity of a cleft in the upper lip, on one or both sides of the midline. It occurs when the three blocks of embryonic tissue that go to form the upper lip fail to fuse and it is often associated with a *cleft palate. Medical name: cheiloschisis.... cleft lip

(branchial cleft, visceral cleft) any of the paired segmented clefts in each side of the throat of the early embryo that correspond to the gills of fish. Soon after they have formed they close to form the *pharyngeal pouches, except for the first cleft, which persists as the external auditory meatus.... pharyngeal cleft

see pharyngeal cleft.... visceral cleft