Evaluation of Pharynx in Isolated Cleft Palate and Pierre-Robin Syndrome With Cleft Palate

To investigate the difference between the 3-dimensional structure of the cavity in patients with isolated cleft palate and Pierre-Robin syndrome with cleft palate. Retrospective measurements of high need ratio (NR), velopharyngeal gap (VPG), soft palate length (SPL), and long velopharyngeal depth (VPD) were taken from lateral and anteroposterior (AP) cephalometric radiographs of isolated cleft palate and PRS with cleft palate. A total of 29 isolated cleft palate and 18 PRS patients with cleft palate were included. The VPG, SPL, and VPD of cleft palate were higher than those in the PRS group. But there is no statistically significant difference of the NR values between the 2 groups (P=0.509). NR and long VPD were contributing factors to velopharyngeal insufficiency (VPI) occurrence. The higher VPD in isolated cleft palate patients compared with PRS may reflect age-related assessment variability. However, the 2 groups show no significant difference in NR values, suggesting comparable velopharyngeal insufficiency between PRS and isolated cleft palate patients.