Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders, East Carolina University, Greenville, NC, USA.
Phoenix Children's Center for Cleft and Craniofacial Care, Division of Plastic Surgery, Phoenix Children's Hospital, Phoenix, AZ, USA.
Cleft Palate Craniofac J. 2025 Jan;62(1):28-34. doi: 10.1177/10556656241271666. Epub 2024 Aug 13.
The levator veli palatini (LVP) muscle has two segments with distinct roles in velopharyngeal function. Previous research suggests longer extravelar segments with shorter intravelar segments may lead to a more advantageous mechanism for velopharyngeal closure. The purpose of this study was to examine whether the distribution of the LVP intravelar and extravelar segments differs between children with cleft palate with and without VPI and controls.
The study included 97 children: 37 with cleft palate +/- lip with VPI, 37 controls, and 19 with cleft palate with normal resonance. Measures included mean LVP length, mean extravelar LVP length, and intravelar LVP length.
Overall mean LVP length was similar ( = .267) between controls and children with cleft palate (with and without VPI). However, there was a significant difference (< .001) between group for both intravelar and extravelar LVP lengths: the intravelar segment was significantly longer in those with VPI compared to controls and children with cleft palate and normal resonance; and the extravelar segment was significantly shorter in those with VPI compared to controls and children with cleft palate and normal resonance.
Results from this study demonstrate a significant difference between the distribution of the functional segments of the LVP among children with VPI, with a more disadvantageous distribution of the muscle segments among those with VPI.
提腭帆肌（LVP）有两个节段，在腭咽功能中发挥着不同的作用。先前的研究表明，较长的外段和较短的内段可能为腭咽闭合提供更有利的机制。本研究旨在探讨腭裂伴或不伴语音障碍（VPI）儿童与对照组之间 LVP 内段和外段的分布是否存在差异。
研究纳入 97 名儿童：37 名腭裂伴 VPI 儿童、37 名对照组儿童和 19 名腭裂伴正常共鸣儿童。测量指标包括 LVP 总长度、外段 LVP 长度和内段 LVP 长度。
对照组和腭裂儿童（伴或不伴 VPI）的 LVP 总长度相似（ = .267）。然而，内段和外段 LVP 长度在各组之间存在显著差异（< .001）：伴 VPI 的儿童的内段显著长于对照组和腭裂伴正常共鸣的儿童；伴 VPI 的儿童的外段显著短于对照组和腭裂伴正常共鸣的儿童。
本研究结果表明，VPI 儿童的 LVP 功能段分布存在显著差异，伴 VPI 的儿童的肌肉段分布更为不利。
