Past studies show that the middle-ear disease in infants and children with cleft palate is caused by their inability to open a natural tube that connects the back of the nose with the middle-ear (called the Eustachian tube). Opening the Eustachian tube is required to keep the pressure in the middle-ear equal to that of the atmosphere which prevents fluid from building up in the middle-ear. For this reason, middle-ear disease is usually treated by placing a small plastic tube in the eardrum which keeps the middle-ear pressure and pressure in the room (atmospheric pressure) equal even when the Eustachian tube fails to open. However, the disease often returns when the plastic tube becomes blocked or falls out and a new tube needs to be placed in the eardrum. The actions of two small muscles, the levator veli palatini (LVP) muscle and the tensor veli palatini (TVP) muscle combine to open the Eustachian tube and the LVP muscle plays a role in raising the palate during speech, swallowing and other activities. Both muscles run through the soft palate. In children with cleft palate, the usual position, orientation and function of both of these muscles are abnormal and few surgical procedures for palate repair focus on re-establishing a more "normal" orientation and attachment of these muscles.