Elevation of the soft palate in speech and swallowing in normal female participants and females with motor neuron disease: an innovative procedure for measuring palatal elevation

The aim was to measure the angle of elevation of the soft palate during the separate conditions of swallowing of pudding, swallowing of liquid and during production of 'may/pay', using videofluoroscopy and innovative computer software. We then determined whether soft palate elevation (as reflected in measures of an angle) differed in those separate conditions. Twelve female participants were studied, aged 40-70 years. The trends observed were that the highest soft palate elevation was displayed in the liquid-swallowing condition and the lowest soft palate elevation was displayed in the speech conditions. The results did not reach statistical significance, but the findings support the suggestions of Rubesin et al. (1987) and Fritzell (1969) that soft palate elevation is higher during swallowing than during speech. This same method was then used to measure soft palate elevation under the same three conditions in nine females, all aged >40 years, who had motor neuron disease. Again, the highest soft palate elevation was displayed when swallowing liquid, but this time the lowest elevation occurred when swallowing pudding. Owing to small numbers, results did not reach statistical significance, but the trends may be important to replicate in a larger study. This pilot study developed a comprehensive and accurate method of measuring the soft palate elevation using digitization and computer software.