The nasal cavity in complete unilateral cleft lip and palate.

Abstract

THE ROOF of the mouth is also the floor of the nose. It follows that a disarrangement in the architecture of the roof of the mouth must, of necessity, be reflected within the nasal cavity. Conversely, anatomic variants within the nasal chambers could influence the architecture of the palatal vault. Cleft lip and palate is a unique experiment of nature in which such interrelations may be explored (Fig 1). The mobility of the cleft palatal segments and their responsiveness to muscle or tissue tensions, as well as mechanical forces, permit a variety of observations under varying conditions not possible in the intact palate. The interrelation between the form of the maxillary arch and that of the nasal chambers raises questions of considerable clinical significance: Is there a direct correlation between collapse of the cleft maxillary arch and reduced width of the nasal chambers? If so, would this impede airflow, modify