Etiological Study of Persistent Velopharyngeal Insufficiency in Children With Operated Velopalatine Cleft by Analysis of Velopharyngeal Motor Skills in Static and Dynamic MRI

Velopharyngeal insufficiency is defined as the inability of the soft palate to isolate the nasopharynx from the oropharynx. It is a frequent sequela in patients with a velopalatine cleft despite anatomical restoration of the soft palate by intravelar veloplasty at 6 months. If rehabilitation by a speech therapist is not successful, a pharyngoplasty can be discussed. In the last ten years, MRI was used in dynamic and static way, to analyzed velopharyngeal muscles, in particular Levator Veli Palatini. MRI could be used to identify the etiology of VPI in those patients, and thus allow personalized rehabilitation and surgical management. The aim of this study is to examine the differences in velopharyngeal motricity as well as velar muscles morphology, positioning, and symmetry of children with repaired cleft palate with different degrees of severity of velopharyngeal insufficiency (VPI), and children with labial cleft (noncleft palate anatomy).