title: [Magnetic resonance imaging of the levator veli palatini of the cleft palate patients after operation].
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To observe the mobility of levator veli palatini muscle during speech in patients with repaired cleft palate and cleft lip.
  
  
  METHODS
  MRI of the levator veli palatini muscle was taken during speech and breathing in three groups of patients: control group (cleft lip only, 8 cases), velopharyngeal incompetence (VPI) group (7 cases), velopharyngeal competence (VPC) group (10 cases). The length and the angle of the levator veli palatini muscle were compared.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The changes of the length and the angle during speech were not significantly different among the three groups (P > 0.05). The ratio of length changes when speaking "a", "i", and "m" are (13.5 ± 11.7)%, (11.1 ± 10.8)%, (8.2 ± 14.3)%. Mean angle of pronouncing "a", "i", and "m" are [(43.18 ± 4.984)°, (43.08 ± 4.879)°, (39.48 ± 5.046)°]. The levator veli palatini muscle contracted progressively form "m", "i", to "a".
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The mobility of the levator veli palatini muscle in patients with repaired cleft palate and cleft lip only is basically the same.
authors.affiliation: Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, West China School of Stomatology, Sichuan University, Chengdu 610041, China.
authors.forename: Jin
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Shi
authors.forename: Bing
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Shi
authors.forename: Qian
authors.initials: Q
authors.lastname: Zheng
authors.forename: Heng
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Yin
mesh_terms: D002971:Cleft Lip / Q000601:surgery*; D002972:Cleft Palate / Q000601:surgery*; D006801:Humans; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging; D018482:Muscle, Skeletal; D010156:Palatal Muscles / Q000473:pathology*; D013060:Speech; D014681:Velopharyngeal Insufficiency