Cleft Palate

In contrast to the normally formed palates in the previous two photos, this infant has a cleft palate. Here, only the lateral margins of the palate are visible. Because the mouth is wide open to the nasal cavity, the NG tube can be seen passing through the nasopharynx as well as the mouth. Cleft palate is not always this obvious. When examining the palate, the examiner should palpate both the hard and soft palate to check for submucosal and partial clefts, which are more easily missed.

photo by Janelle Aby, MD