Role of MRI in Detection of Repaired Cleft Palate Muscles and Correlation to Speech

Ali, Amro Mahmoud Abdelrahman; El Shamy, Mahmoud Ibrahim; AbdElmonem, Ahmed Ali; Hamza, Fawzy Ahmed; El Banoby, Tarek Mahmoud

doi:10.21608/ejhm.2018.19788

Role of MRI in Detection of Repaired Cleft Palate Muscles and Correlation to Speech

Document Type : Original Article

Authors

Department of plastic Surgery, Faculty of Medicine, Al-Azhar University

10.21608/ejhm.2018.19788

Abstract

Background: Cleft palate is a birth defect when the roof of the mouth contains an opening into the nose. It occurs in about 1:2 per 1000 births. These disorders can result in speech disorders, feeding problems and frequent ear infections. It is the result of tissues of the face not joining properly during development. Speech therapy and dental care may also be needed. Approximately 30 percent of patients having undergone cleft palate repair require secondary surgery for velopharyngeal dysfunction. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) is one of the common used tests in variable fields of medicine and surgery. Now trials are done for use of MRI in the postpalatoplasty velopharyngeal dysfunction patients. Objective: This study aims to detect static craniofacial and velopharyngeal measures of repaired cleft palate patients specially repaired muscle state (levator veli palatini muscle) by using MRI and correlate these data to speech state. Patients and Methods: this prospective study conducted in AlAzhar and Beni-suef University Hospitals in the period of February 2018 till November 2018. It is conducted on twenty children who complained of postpalatoplasty velopharyngeal dysfunction and examined by nasendoscopy and speech analysis then MRI palate was done using 1.5 T MRI; to correlate MRI data to speech data. Results: our statistical results revealed significant decrease in the velopharyngeal variants than normal ranges. That prove that static MRI is a valid procedure for diagnosis of anatomical abnormality. But after correlation with speech data it showed that it should be accompanied with dynamic procedure (e.g. Nasendoscopy) especially in patients with normal ranged anatomy. Conclusion: this study was done in variant range of children who suffer from post-palatoplasty speech abnormality, scanned by MRI palate and correlate these data by speech data. Static MRI is efficient technique to demonstrate structural defects in these patients.

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