Unrepaired Cleft Palate Research Articles

Factors Influencing Tympanostomy Tube Function and Extrusion: A Study of 1, 127 Ears

Shepard, long polyethylene, and Reuter-bobbin tympanostomy tubes were studied for longevity in the inferior and anterior quadrants of 1,127 tympanic membranes. Factors that improved tube functioning time significantly for all or certain tube types included (1) general anesthesia; (2) "virgin" tympanic membranes (Shepard, Reuter-bobbin), (3) age of 9 years or younger (Reuter-bobbin), (4) normal or thin tympanic membranes (Reuter-bobbin), and (5) middle ear fluid (Reuter-bobbin for all types of fluid). Negative correlations (or those not statistically significant because of such factors as sample size) for longevity of tube functioning time included (1) effect of multiple previous intubations in the same ear, (2) age over 10 years, and (3) quadrant of insertion. No significant difference in longevity was noted between normal patients and those with a repaired or unrepaired cleft palate deformity. The data suggest that the epithelial layer of the tympanic membrane influences the longevity of the tympanostomy tube function.

The dental occlusion in treated and non-treated cleft lip and palate

Summary. Case reports are presented of two patients who had early surgical closure of cleft lip and palate and of one patient where palatal closure was delayed till about 6 years of age. The dental occlusion of these patients is compared with that of ten patients with cleft lip and palate who had no surgical treatment. It is suggested that too early surgical treatment may lead to maxillary collapse and to anteroposterior discrepancies of the maxilla. In unrepaired cleft lip and palate there is no interference with growth sites and there appears to be natural dentoalvolar compensation of the original aberration.

Growth defects in unrepaired unilateral cleft lip and palate

The positional relationships of the dentoalveolar segments in ten subjects with unrepaired unilateral complete clefts of lip and palate were studied in order to assess the effects of the cleft malformation on dentoalveolar growth. The findings suggest that there are localized growth defects, particularly in lateral and vertical growth at the region of the alveolar cleft, which cannot be accounted for by operative trauma. The position and shape of the central incisor nearest the cleft was also found to be defective in some subjects.

An Acoustic Comparison of Cleft Palate and Normal Baby Cries

A 13-oct band analysis was used to compare cries occurring in cleft palate and normal babies. Sound-pressure levels on the linear scale, re 0.0002 μbar, were also observed. Cries from twenty-one normal and seven unrepaired cleft palate subjects ranging in ages from 112 to 24 months were recorded in the study. SPLs of the loudest cries averaged 96.7 dB for the normals and 97.5 dB for the cleft subjects. Frequency band means were used for graphically comparing the normal males versus females and the cleft palates versus normals. Results indicate that neither the SPL nor the 13-oct band spectrum of the cry can be used to identify a subject's age, sex, or palatal condition.

Some Preliminary observations on unrepaired hare-lips and cleft palates in adult members of the Dusan tribes of North Borneo

Summary Some preliminary observations have been recorded on unrepaired hare-lips and cleft palates occurring in adult members of the Dusan tribes of North Borneo. It has been observed that in cases where the alveolus or hard palate is cleft, there occurs a medial (palatal) collapse of the lateral alveolar segment on the affected side associated with a diminished downward (vertical) growth of the alveolus. Cases where the alveolus or palate were not cleft showed good development of the alveolar arch.

The posterior pharyngeal flap palatoplasty. II. analysis of twenty-nine patients.

The historical background, surgical technique, and indications for posterior pharyngeal palatoplasty were discussed in a previous publication. 1 This is a preliminary report of the results obtained in 29 patients on whom this operation was performed. The patients ranged from 4 to 28 years of age at the time of operation. The average age was 10 years. Of these 29 patients, 18 were males and 11 were females. The patients who had repaired cleft palates had an average lapse of 7.6 years prior to the pharyngeal flap operation. The extremes ranged from 3 months to 20 years. The indications for the operation in our series can be summarized as follows: Short palate in patients with previously repaired cleft palate—23 patients Congenitally short palate associated with unrepaired cleft palate—2 patients Congenitally short palate only—3 patients Congenital paralysis of the soft palate—1 patient There were five postoperative complications in this series, consisting of