a congenital malformation, in which there is an opening in the upper jaw and the hard palate. As a result there is a cleft which joins the mouth cavity and the nose. A cleft palate causes difficulty in eating (the food falls into the windpipe and the nasal cavity), breathing, and speaking (the speech impediments include nasality and distorted pronunciation of the sounds k, p, and t). It is often followed by a split in the upper lip. Treatment includes surgical operation and prosthesis and dispensary observation (changing healing de-vices) up to the age of 16.
a congenital developmental defect in man in which acts of feeding, breathing, and speech are disturbed as a result of the formation of a fissure between the right and left halves of the hard palate. It constitutes up to 30 percent of all developmental defects; it is often found together with harelip.
The origin of cleft palate is linked to disturbance in the development of the embryo in the period of six to 12 weeks when the palate is formed. Unfavorable external conditions, physical or mental trauma to the mother, deficient nutrition, illnesses suffered during pregnancy, and toxoplasmosis influence the development of cleft palate. The influence of heredity has not been proved. A reliable method of removing cleft palate and the functional disorders associated with it is radical plastic surgery combined with orthopedic and logopedic preoperative and postoperative treatment. Preventive measures include a sensible schedule in work and daily life during pregnancy, good nutrition, and prevention of infectious diseases.
REFERENCES
Dubov, M. D. Vrozhdennye rasshcheliny neba. [Leningrad] 1960.
Dmitrieva, V. S. , and R. L. Lando. Khirurgicheskoe lechenie vrozhdennykh i posleoperatsionnykh defeklov neba. Moscow, 1968.
A. A. KUZNETSOVA