Pharyngeal wall motion in prosthetically managed cleft palate adults.

Fiberoptic nasoendoscopy was used to evaluate the activity in the lateral and posterior pharyngeal walls of five adults with cleft palate, each of whom had worn a prosthetic speech appliance for more than 20 years. Activity during speech was greatest in the area of the levator veli palatini muscle and Passavant's ridge, while no gross activity was observed in the area of the auditory tube superiorly. Activity was variable within and between subjects. Apparent medial movement of the auditory tube seemed to be secondary to the influence of the levator muscle on the pharyngeal wall soft tissues.