Hartley B E, Rowe-Jones J
Department of Otolaryngology, St George's Hospital, London.
J Laryngol Otol. 1994 Jan;108(1):65-6.
It is common practice in many parts of Africa for traditional healers to remove the uvula to prevent infections and other disorders associated with the throat. We report two cases of children presenting with recurrent tonsillitis. On examination both children showed complete absence of the uvula and prominent tonsils. It was later revealed that they both had undergone uvulectomy, performed by traditional healers in Eritrea. We report this because this practice, although commonly performed, is little known to otolaryngologists practising outside Africa. In addition, although velopharyngeal competence seems to be maintained after uvulectomy, it may theoretically be at risk if adenoidectomy is performed in these patients.
在非洲许多地区，传统治疗师切除悬雍垂以预防与喉咙相关的感染和其他疾病是常见做法。我们报告了两例复发性扁桃体炎患儿的病例。检查时，两名患儿均显示悬雍垂完全缺失且扁桃体肿大。后来发现他们都接受了厄立特里亚传统治疗师进行的悬雍垂切除术。我们报告此事是因为这种做法虽然很常见，但在非洲以外地区执业的耳鼻喉科医生却鲜为人知。此外，尽管悬雍垂切除术后腭咽功能似乎得以维持，但理论上如果对这些患者进行腺样体切除术，腭咽功能可能会受到影响。
