Comparative assessment of the velopharyngeal structures between children with repaired cleft palate and noncleft population using 3-dimensional magnetic resonance imaging

Abstract

Improved knowledge of normal velopharyngeal data and comparison with matched groups of children with repaired cleft palate are critical for understanding anatomical variability and the goals of surgery. The present study was designed to examine the differences in velopharyngeal structures between pediatric patients with repaired cleft palate and noncleft participants. Velopharyngeal variations were further analyzed by sex, cleft type, timing of cleft palate repair, and velopharyngeal insufficiency status in the pediatric population with cleft palate. A retrospective review was performed of pediatric patients undergoing magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) of the velopharynx between November 2020 and June 2023. Palatal and velopharyngeal measurements were obtained from the MRI scans. A total of 96 participants, aged 5–12 years, undergoing velopharyngeal evaluation with MRI were recruited: 48 participants with normal speech and without cleft palate and 48 patients with repaired cleft palate. The mean age of the noncleft group was 8.5 ± 2.3 and that of the cleft group was 6.4 ± 1.4. There was a statistically significant difference between cleft and noncleft participants in all variables (p < 0.001). Velopharyngeal and palatal measures of patients with repaired cleft palate revealed significant inadequacies compared with noncleft participants, with divergence between the different cleft types. These findings can be used as a reference for future comparisons in research that uses similar variables in the cleft population.