Morphological study of cleft palate development in 5-fluorouracil-treated hamster fetuses.

Morphogenesis of palate was studied in normal and 5-fluorouracil-treated hamster fetuses. The results showed that normal palatal development was completed between days 12 and 13 of gestation. In 5-fluorouracil-assaulted palate the reorientation of shelves from a vertical to horizontal plane was delayed. Crown-rump length, gestational age and fetal weight were reliable predictors of the stages of normal palatal development, whereas the morphological rating system was not. Following 5-fluorouracil treatment, however, crown-rump length, weight and morphological rating were poor indicators of the stage of palatal development.