Cleft palate is relatively common and can occur alone or be accompanied by chapped lips.

bubble_chart Etiology

The exact cause of cleft palate is not fully understood, but it is believed to be related to nutritional deficiencies in pregnancy, endocrine abnormalities, viral infections, and genetic factors.

bubble_chart Clinical Manifestations

Cleft palate can generally be divided into four types: ① Soft cleft palate, not complicated by chapped lips; ② Soft and hard cleft palate, often complicated by unilateral incomplete chapped lips; ③ Unilateral complete cleft palate, starting from the uvula to the incisive foramen, extending obliquely outward, completely splitting the lateral incisor, with the alveolar processes separated by a mucous membrane, often complicated by unilateral complete chapped lips; ④ Bilateral complete cleft palate, often coexisting with bilateral complete chapped lips. The cleft splits bilaterally at the lateral incisors, with the lower end of the nasal septum appearing free. Clinically, type ③ cleft palate is the most common, while type ④ is the least common. Newborns or infants with grade III cleft palate often have sucking and swallowing dysfunction, leading to nutritional disorders and choking during breastfeeding, resulting in aspiration pneumonia. Affected children often exhibit significant open nasal speech or unclear articulation.

bubble_chart Treatment Measures

Surgical repair should be performed, preferably between the ages of 2 and 5-6 years. The surgery not only closes the palatal cleft but also provides the correct conditions for the child's speech. Postoperative speech training is necessary for the child. The basic principles of cleft palate repair surgery are to lengthen the soft palate, close the velopharyngeal port, and restore normal swallowing and speech functions. Currently, commonly used surgical methods include: ① modified Langenbeck operation; ② vomer mucoperiosteal flap surgery; ③ island palatal flap surgery; and ④ posterior pharyngeal wall mucoperiosteal muscle flap transplantation.