Abstract
Objective
To determine if there is evidence for a relationship between the presence of a non-syndromic cleft lip and/or palate (NSCL/P) and altered brain structure in cleft affected individuals.
Design
Electronic database (MEDLINE; EMBASE; Cochrane library) and manual searches were performed and were limited to English language texts published between 1st of January 1969 until 1st of June 2024. Data extraction and risk of bias assessment were carried out independently by two reviewers. A meta-analysis on 9 publications was performed using a random effects model.
Main outcome measure
Comparison of brain structure between patients born with cleft lip and/or palate and unaffected healthy individuals.
Results
The review identified 11 studies, of which 9 were included in the meta-analysis. The latter comprised 398 individuals with NSCL/P compared to 458 unaffected controls. There was statistical evidence to suggest a reduction in the overall intracranial volume and the total cerebellar volume in the NSCL/P cases compared to the controls (Hedges’ g and 95% confidence intervals: −0.36 [95% CI: −0.65, −0.08] and −0.69 [95% CI: −0.84, −0.53], respectively). For the cortical gray matter, straight gyrus, and total cerebral volume, there was no statistical evidence to suggest a difference between the NSCL/P cases and the controls.
Conclusion
In individuals with NSCL/P, the overall intracranial volume and the total cerebellar volume were both smaller than in unaffected controls.
To determine if there is evidence for a relationship between the presence of a non-syndromic cleft lip and/or palate (NSCL/P) and altered brain structure in cleft affected individuals.
Design
Electronic database (MEDLINE; EMBASE; Cochrane library) and manual searches were performed and were limited to English language texts published between 1st of January 1969 until 1st of June 2024. Data extraction and risk of bias assessment were carried out independently by two reviewers. A meta-analysis on 9 publications was performed using a random effects model.
Main outcome measure
Comparison of brain structure between patients born with cleft lip and/or palate and unaffected healthy individuals.
Results
The review identified 11 studies, of which 9 were included in the meta-analysis. The latter comprised 398 individuals with NSCL/P compared to 458 unaffected controls. There was statistical evidence to suggest a reduction in the overall intracranial volume and the total cerebellar volume in the NSCL/P cases compared to the controls (Hedges’ g and 95% confidence intervals: −0.36 [95% CI: −0.65, −0.08] and −0.69 [95% CI: −0.84, −0.53], respectively). For the cortical gray matter, straight gyrus, and total cerebral volume, there was no statistical evidence to suggest a difference between the NSCL/P cases and the controls.
Conclusion
In individuals with NSCL/P, the overall intracranial volume and the total cerebellar volume were both smaller than in unaffected controls.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Number of pages | 9 |
| Journal | Cleft Palate-Craniofacial Journal |
| Early online date | 24 Mar 2025 |
| DOIs | |
| Publication status | E-pub ahead of print - 24 Mar 2025 |
Bibliographical note
Publisher Copyright:© 2025, American Cleft Palate Craniofacial Association.