Iafolla A K
Department of Pediatrics, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, NC 27710, USA.
J Perinatol. 1995 Mar-Apr;15(2):135-8.
This article reports the use of medicinal leech therapy for the relief of severe postoperative vascular congestion of the penis in a male infant with exstrophy of the bladder. When more conventional methods of decongestion were unsuccessful, medicinal leech therapy markedly improved the infant's chance of remaining both phenotypically and functionally male. The uneventful and successful use of medicinal leeches in this patient demonstrates that medicinal leeches may be safely used in the newborn period, if appropriate precautions are taken to prevent both infection and anemia.
本文报道了药用蚂蟥疗法用于缓解一名患有膀胱外翻的男婴术后阴茎严重血管充血的情况。当更传统的充血缓解方法未成功时，药用蚂蟥疗法显著提高了该婴儿在表型和功能上保持男性特征的几率。在该患者中安全且成功地使用药用蚂蟥表明，如果采取适当的预防措施以防止感染和贫血，药用蚂蟥可在新生儿期安全使用。
