[Neurologic disturbances in children with cleft lip and cleft palate]

Neurological symptoms of genetic syndromes, including congenital cleft lip and palate (CLP) are well-studied while neurological characteristics of patients with non-syndromal CLP are not described. The authors studied neurological disturbances in CLP.

Twenty-one patients with CLP, mean age 12.0±4.7 years (the main group) were compared to healthy people (the control group).

Elements of bulbar syndrome (atrophy and deviation of the tongue, sagging of the soft palate, specific speech disturbances) and mimic innervation abnormalities (hypomimia or hypermimia, face asymmetry), microfocal neurological symptoms occurred significantly more frequently (p<0.01) in patients of the main group. Bulbar disorders, identified in 100% of the patients, were most characteristic of CLP. The neurological features of patients with CLP demonstrate the involvement of the brain stem, mimic innervation, bulbar cranial nerves and defects of the development of the neural tube.