This information is helpful in determining appropriate surgical or prosthetic management for the patient. The disadvantage of this technique is that the vertical level velar elevation is less obvious than with videofluoroscopy, although this is not a big concern. Videofluoroscopy
Multiview videofluoroscopy is a radiographic technique to view the length and movement of the velum (soft palate) and the posterior and lateral pharyngeal (throat) walls during speech. The advantage of this technique is that the entire posterior pharyngeal wall can be visualized. Disadvantages include the following: 1. This procedure requires radiation, which is a particular concern for children. 2. It is not well tolerated by some children because it requires injection of barium into the nasopharynx through a nasal catheter. 3. The resolution (clarity of the image) is not nearly as good as nasopharyngoscopy. 4. Small or unilateral openings cannot be seen because the X-ray beam takes a sum of all the parts. 5. It only provides a two-dimensional view, and therefore, multiple views are needed to see the entire velopharyngeal mechanism. Comparison between multiview videofluoroscopy and nasoendoscopy of velopharyngeal movements. "/>  This diagnosis method is useful in assessing velopharyngeal (VP) closure in healthy individuals vs individuals who experience velar backed articulation (BA); given that it was found that healthy individuals had VP closure  occur before tongue movement, whereas individuals with BA had VP closure occur after tongue movement when articulating words. Magnetic resonance imaging
A relatively new approach in the diagnosis is magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), which is noninvasive.
The mutation has high penetrance and variable expression, which means that nearly all people with the gene show signs of the condition, but these signs can range from very mild to very obvious. Diagnosis
Epidemiology
The actual incidence of this disease is not known, but only 243 cases have been reported in the scientific literature, suggesting an incidence of on the order of one affected person in ten million people. References


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