Jamie L Perry1, Joshua Y Chen2, Katelyn J Kotlarek1, Abigail Haenssler1, Bradley P Sutton3, David P Kuehn4, Thomas J Sitzman5, Xiangming Fang6. 1. 1 Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders, East Carolina University, Greenville, NC, USA. 2. 2 Brody School of Medicine, East Carolina University, Greenville, NC, USA. 3. 3 Department of Bioengineering, Beckman Institute for Advanced Science and Technology, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Champaign, IL, USA. 4. 4 Department of Speech and Hearing Science, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Champaign, IL, USA. 5. 5 Division of Plastic Surgery, Department of Surgery, Mayo Clinic College of Medicine, Rochester, MN, USA. 6. 6 Department of Biostatistics, East Carolina University, Greenville, NC, USA.
Abstract
PURPOSE: To investigate the musculus uvulae morphology in vivo in adults with normal velopharyngeal anatomy and to examine sex and race effects on the muscle morphology. We also sought to provide a preliminary comparison of musculus uvulae morphology in adults with normal velopharyngeal anatomy to adults with repaired cleft palate. METHODS: Three-dimensional magnetic resonance imaging data and Amira 5.5 Visualization Modeling software were used to evaluate the musculus uvulae in 70 participants without cleft palate and 6 participants with cleft palate. Muscle length, thickness, width, and volume were compared among participant groups. RESULTS: Analysis of covariance analysis did not yield statistically significant differences in musculus uvulae length, thickness, width, or volume by race or sex among participants without cleft palate when the effect of body size was accounted for. Two-sample t test revealed that the musculus uvulae in participants with repaired cleft palate is significantly shorter (P = .008, 13.65 mm vs 16.07 mm) and has less volume (P = .002, 51.08 mm3 vs 97.62 mm3) than participants without cleft palate. CONCLUSION: In adults with normal velopharyngeal anatomy, the musculus uvulae is a cylindrical oblong-shaped muscle lying on the nasal surface of the soft palate, with its greatest bulk located just nasal to the levator veli palatini muscle sling. In participants with repaired cleft palate, the musculus uvulae is substantially reduced in volume. This diminished muscle bulk located just at the point where the palate contacts the posterior pharyngeal wall may contribute to velopharyngeal insufficiency in children with repaired cleft palate.
PURPOSE: To investigate the musculus uvulae morphology in vivo in adults with normal velopharyngeal anatomy and to examine sex and race effects on the muscle morphology. We also sought to provide a preliminary comparison of musculus uvulae morphology in adults with normal velopharyngeal anatomy to adults with repaired cleft palate. METHODS: Three-dimensional magnetic resonance imaging data and Amira 5.5 Visualization Modeling software were used to evaluate the musculus uvulae in 70 participants without cleft palate and 6 participants with cleft palate. Muscle length, thickness, width, and volume were compared among participant groups. RESULTS: Analysis of covariance analysis did not yield statistically significant differences in musculus uvulae length, thickness, width, or volume by race or sex among participants without cleft palate when the effect of body size was accounted for. Two-sample t test revealed that the musculus uvulae in participants with repaired cleft palate is significantly shorter (P = .008, 13.65 mm vs 16.07 mm) and has less volume (P = .002, 51.08 mm3 vs 97.62 mm3) than participants without cleft palate. CONCLUSION: In adults with normal velopharyngeal anatomy, the musculus uvulae is a cylindrical oblong-shaped muscle lying on the nasal surface of the soft palate, with its greatest bulk located just nasal to the levator veli palatini muscle sling. In participants with repaired cleft palate, the musculus uvulae is substantially reduced in volume. This diminished muscle bulk located just at the point where the palate contacts the posterior pharyngeal wall may contribute to velopharyngeal insufficiency in children with repaired cleft palate.
Entities:
Keywords:
3-dimensional reconstruction; cleft palate; magnetic resonance imaging; morphology; musculus uvulae; race; sex
Authors: Constantin A Landes; Frank Weichert; Thomas Steinbauer; Andreas Schröder; Lars Walczak; Helga Fritsch; Mathias Wagner Journal: Cleft Palate Craniofac J Date: 2011-08-03
Authors: Robert J Mann; Keith C Neaman; Shannon D Armstrong; Ben Ebner; Robert Bajnrauh; Steven Naum Journal: Plast Reconstr Surg Date: 2011-06 Impact factor: 4.730
Authors: Constantin A Landes; Frank Weichert; Thomas Steinbauer; Lars Walczak; Andrea Hasenfus; Christian Veith; Andreas Schröder; Helga Fritsch; Dirk Theegarten; Mathias Wagner Journal: Cleft Palate Craniofac J Date: 2010-08-16