Submucous cleft soft palate

What it means

A cleft of the muscular (soft) portion of the palate that is covered by mucous membrane. Soft-palate submucous clefts are characterized by a midline deficiency or lack of muscle tissue.

Often, submucous cleft palate is associated with bifid uvula, but this should be coded separately. The muscles of the soft palate may not function properly, leading to speech problems, middle ear disease, and swallowing difficulties.

Rare diseases that can present with this7

The range is how often this sign appears among people diagnosed with each disease — it is not a probability of having any of them. Many of these signs also occur in common, non-rare conditions. A sign on this page is a conversation to have with a clinician, not a conclusion.

Part of the broader category

Also called: Partial thickness cleft soft palate · Submucous cleft velum