Table 3.

Anatomical abnormalities of the tensor veli palatini muscle and Eustachian tube in cleft palate patients

Anatomical abnormalities in CP patients	Study	Year	No. of CP specimens	Age of CP patients	No. of controls	Age of controls
Smaller TVP to ET cartilage insertion ratio	Matsune et al. [12]	1991	10	32 gest. weeks–3 years	20	33 gest. weeks–2 years
Smaller ET cartilage area ratio: LL/ML	Matsune et al. [19]	1991	10	32 gest. weeks–3 years	20	33 gest. weeks–2 years
ET tubal lumen is less curved	Matsune et al. [19]	1991	10	32 gest. weeks–3 years	20	33 gest. weeks–2 years
	Shibahara & Sando [11]	1988	8	24 gest. weeks–6 weeks	8	Age-matched
Greater cartilage cell densitya	Yamaguchi et al. [34]	1990	11	24 gest. weeks–3 years	24	24 gest. weeks–3.5 years
Less elastin at the “hinge portion” of ET cartilage	Matsune et al. [19]	1992	6	3 days–3 years	13	6 aged 19–52 years, 7 aged 2 days–2 years
Smaller ET cartilage LL and ML volume and volume ratio (LL/ML)	Takasaki et al. [35]	2000	9	1 day–1 monthb	16	Up to 1 monthb
Smaller angle at which the TVP pulls the ET lumen	Shibahara & Sando [11]	1988	8	24 gest. weeks–6 weeks	8	Age-matched
Reduced sensitivity of ET to TVP forces and increased sensitivity to periluminal mucosal tissue stiffness	Sheer et al. [36]	2012	5	1 month–2.5 years	4 6	4–10 years 19–76 years
(1) Increased nasopharynx space (2) Smaller hamulus to lateral pterygoid plate width. (3) Differences in angulation hamulusa.	Rajion et al. [37]	2012	29	0–12 months	12	Age-matched

CP cleft palate, ET Eustachian tube, gest. gestational, LL lateral lamina, ML medial lamina, TVP tensor veli palatini muscle

^aNot statistically significant

^bTakasaki et al. did not mention gestational age at which the children deceased