Humans ; Palate, Soft ; Pharynx ; Snoring ; Uvula

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: We investigated the effectiveness of shortening the uvula muscle for the treatment of snoring. This new and simple procedure was developed to promote the elevation of the uvula position using a minimally invasive technique. SUBJECTS AND METHODS: Fifteen habitual snorers were included in this study. In order to find the exact anatomical position of the uvula muscle, we first dissected the soft palate of a cadaver to better understand the exact anatomical location and structure of the uvula muscle. With this result, we developed a new surgical technique for treating snoring. The results of our surgery were evaluated by both the patient and bed partner before surgery, at 30 days, and 90 days after surgery respectively using the visual analogue scale (VAS). RESULTS: Post-operative physical examinations showed superiorly displaced uvula position. The lower half of the soft palate and uvula were also anteriorly flexed. Those findings remained unaltered beyond the 90th post-operative day. The patient and bed partner snoring symptoms assessed by VAS were significantly improved compared to the pre-treatment values (p<0.05). CONCLUSION: The uvula muscle shortening is an effective and simple method for the treatment of snoring.
Cadaver ; Humans ; Muscles ; Palate, Soft ; Physical Examination ; Snoring ; Uvula

Authors observed clinically for congenital anophthalmos in two cases. One case was a boy, aged 6 years, having congenital anophthalmos of right eye with bifid uvula and another case was newbron baby, aged 4 days, having congenital anophthalmos and blepharophimosis of left eye and was born to undernutciented mother from chronic hepatitis.
Anophthalmos* ; Blepharophimosis ; Hepatitis, Chronic ; Humans ; Male ; Mothers ; Uvula

Humans ; Palate, Soft ; surgery ; Sleep Apnea Syndromes ; surgery ; Uvula ; surgery

Aged ; Humans ; Male ; Palatal Neoplasms ; pathology ; Uvula ; pathology

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: Many people have been concerned about voice change after laser assisted uvulopalatoplasty (LAUP). A number of studies reported acoustic changes after uvulopalatopharyngoplasty (UPPP) and LAUP. However, there have not been any reports on the association between anatomic change and acoustic results after LAUP. The purpose of this study is to analyze changes in the voice and changes in the vocal tract after LAUP and to evaluate whether the anatomical changes of vocal tract have an effect on the voice change or not. SUBJECTS AND METHOD: By using CSL, we analyzed fourteen LAUP cases on the formant frequencies of six vowels (/a/, /i/, /u/, /=, /o/, /e/) and four nasal consonants (/hana/, /eomma/, /eoungga/, /chiken/). By using MR image, we analyzed changes in the vocal tract eight weeks after LAUP with preoperative findings in three cases. RESULTS: In acoustic analysis, the second formant frequencies of /u/ and /= phonation were significantly reduced postoperatively compared to those of preoperative status. In imaging study of /u/ and /=, the uvula and soft palate were contracted, so coupling was occurred between nasal cavity and oropharynx in /u/ and /= phonation and the tongue was shifted toward posterior pharyngeal wall to compensate coupling. CONCLUSION: LAUP reduced the second formant of /u/ and /=, which did not result in serious voice changes.
Acoustics* ; Nasal Cavity ; Oropharynx ; Palate, Soft ; Phonation ; Tongue ; Uvula ; Voice*

PURPOSE: To report a case of congenital symblepharon associated with No. 3 craniofacial cleft. METHODS: A 40-month old girl with left eyelid lesion underwent an ophthalmologic examination at the department of ophthalmology and a face examination at the department of plastic and reconstructive surgery. RESULTS: Congenital symblepharon associated with No. 3 craniofacial cleft including bifid uvula, partial cleft lip, and coloboma of the lower medial eyelid was found. She did not have amblyopia or strabismus. A MEDLINE search of the literature revealed only one reported case of symblepharon associated with a craniofacial cleft.
Amblyopia ; Child, Preschool ; Cleft Lip ; Coloboma ; Eyelids ; Female ; Humans ; Ophthalmology ; Plastics ; Strabismus ; Uvula

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: Head tilt at the end of step rotation about a vertical axis decreases the time constant (TC) of the post-rotatory nystagmus, which is known as tilt-suppression of the vestibulo-ocular reflex (VOR). Tilt suppression of the VOR is mediated by the cerebellar nodulus and ventral uvula and is eliminated after surgical ablation of those structures. However, studies on the tilt suppression of the VOR have been sparse in humans with cerebellar lesions. MATERIALS AND METHODS:Five patients with circumscribed cerebellar lesions involving the nodulusor ventral uvula underwent recording of spontaneous and positional nystagmus, and the VOR. To evaluate tilt suppression of the VOR, the participants pitched their head forward at the end of step rotation about a vertical axis both in the clockwise and counter-clockwise directions. RESULTS: The VOR gain was increased in a patient with infarction in the territory of the medial posterior inferior cerebellar artery while the gain of visually enhanced VOR was normal in all the patients. The time constants of per- and post-rotatory nystagmus was increased in a patient with increased VOR gain and the tilt suppression of the post-rotatory nystagmus was impaired in two patients, either uni- or bilaterally. Spontaneous downbeat and central positional nystagmus were frequently accompanied. CONCLUSIONS: Nodular lesion may impair tilt suppression of the VOR. Measurement of tilt suppressive effect of the VOR may provide a valuable tool for evaluating the nodular dysfunction.
Arteries ; Axis, Cervical Vertebra ; Cerebellum ; Head ; Humans ; Infarction ; Nystagmus, Physiologic* ; Reflex, Vestibulo-Ocular ; Uvula

The velopharyngeal dysfunction usually occurs in patients with previous operation of the cleft palate or with submucosal cleft palate. In case of velopharyngeal dysfunction without cleft palate, no study has been made when it comes to operative method and postoperative results. Here, we would like to present the operative methods and the postoperative results with the cases we've experienced. This study is based on seven cases of velopharyngeal dysfunction without cleft palate from 1999 to 2004. Analysis of age, sex, etiology, operative methods, satisfaction rate and speech evaluation was done. The patients were 3 males and 4 females, with an age ranged from 10 to 28 at the time of surgery. The follow-up period was more than six months. One case had bifid uvula, another had atypical anomaly in palate, and five cases had no anatomical abnormality. The palatal lengthening was done on one patient, the levator muscle repositioning on another patient and to the rest of them, the superiorly based posterior pharyngeal flap was done. It was difficult to determine the etiology of the velopharyngeal dysfunction without cleft palate. The speech improvement and the satisfaction rate of the patients and parents were diverse. Although the authors had a problem with statistical analysis between the operative age and the speech improvement, it was reasonable to perform a surgical operation because post operative speech improvement was observed in most cases regardless of age. There is little statistical correlation, but significantly higher outcomes were observed in palatal lengthening and levator muscle repositioning than in pharyngeal flap.
Cleft Palate* ; Female ; Follow-Up Studies ; Humans ; Male ; Palate ; Parents ; Speech Articulation Tests ; Uvula ; Velopharyngeal Insufficiency

We investigated the location of neurons related to lateral rectus muscle in the cerebellum of rats. Horseradish peroxidase (HRP) and Pseudorabies virus (PRV) were injected into right lateral rectus muscle of rats. After 84~90 hours, cardiac perfusion was performed with 4% paraformaldehyde in HRP injection group and 4% paraformaldehyde-lysine-periodate in PRV injection group. Tetramethylbenzidine (TMB) neurohistochemical stain in HRP injection group and immuno-histochemical stain in PRV injection group were performed after frozen section. HRP-reactive neuronal cells were observed in ipsilateral abducens nucleus. PRV-immunoreactive neuronal cells were observed ipsilaterally in abducens nucleus, flocculus, paraflocculus, ansiform lobule, declive, dentate nucleus, infracerebellar nucleus and y nucleus and also bilaterally in nodulus, lobulus centralis, lingula, uvula vermis and fastigial nucleus. These findings show the existence of neuronal projection from the abducens nucleus to the cerebellum. This projection could be part of nerve circuits through which the cerebellum modulates visuomotor activities.
Animals ; Cerebellar Nuclei ; Cerebellum* ; Frozen Sections ; Herpesvirus 1, Suid* ; Horseradish Peroxidase ; Neurons* ; Perfusion ; Pseudorabies* ; Rats* ; Uvula