The general purpose of the Speech Physiology and Anatomy Project is to provide additional information concerning the structure and function of the velopharyngeal (VP) mechanism both in normals and in cleft palate individuals. It is expected that this information will lead to improve treatment procedures for speech communication purposes in cleft palate patients. Since the ultimate goal in cleft palate management for speech purposes is to provide the patient with a functionally adequate VP mechanism, a thorough understanding of the normal non-cleft mechanism is essential in establishing an emulative model. Therefore, the investigative strategy will include study of a limited number of normal as well as cleft palate subjects. Procedures to be used include anatomical dissection and histological sectioning, radiographic files (of several types), electromyography (EMG), endoscopy, and air pressure and flow.
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