Your cart is currently empty!
Cleft lip and cleft palate are congenital deformities that may occur separately or together, resulting from distinct developmental failures during fetal growth. Both have multifactorial causes involving genetic and environmental factors.
Cleft lip results from a failure of the fusion between:
This incomplete fusion prevents the formation of the primary palate.
Cleft palate results from a failure of fusion between:
This fusion failure impedes the formation of the secondary palate.
Feature | Cleft Lip | Cleft Palate |
---|---|---|
Failure of Fusion | Maxillary & merged medial nasal processes | Lateral palatine shelves, nasal septum, or primary palate |
Structure Affected | Primary palate | Secondary palate |
Timing of Development | Early embryonic development (5-6 weeks) | Later embryonic development (7-12 weeks) |
“MaMe for Lip, Late for Palate”
Using this mnemonic, students can recall which structures fail to fuse in each condition and the respective development periods.
Condition | Primary Cause of Fusion Failure | Affected Structure | Developmental Period |
---|---|---|---|
Cleft Lip | Maxillary + Merged Medial Nasal Processes | Primary Palate | 5-6 Weeks |
Cleft Palate | Lateral Palatine Shelves or Nasal Septum | Secondary Palate | 7-12 Weeks |
This summary helps reinforce the different processes and time frames, making it easier to identify and differentiate cleft lip and cleft palate in exam scenarios.