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

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*

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

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

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

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

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: To investigate whether taste thresholds, as determined by electrogustometry (EGM) and chemical taste tests, differ by age and the severity of facial palsy in patients with Bell's palsy. SUBJECTS AND METHODS: This study included 29 patients diagnosed with Bell's palsy between January 2014 and May 2015 in our hospital. Patients were assorted into age groups and by severity of facial palsy, as determined by House-Brackmann Scale, and their taste thresholds were assessed by EGM and chemical taste tests. RESULTS: EGM showed that taste thresholds at four locations on the tongue and one location on the central soft palate, 1 cm from the palatine uvula, were significantly higher in Bell's palsy patients than in controls (p<0.05). In contrast, chemical taste tests showed no significant differences in taste thresholds between the two groups (p>0.05). The severity of facial palsy did not affect taste thresholds, as determined by both EGM and chemical taste tests (p>0.05). The overall mean electrical taste thresholds on EGM were higher in younger Bell's palsy patients than in healthy subjects, with the difference at the back-right area of the tongue differing significantly (p<0.05). In older individuals, however, no significant differences in taste thresholds were observed between Bell's palsy patients and healthy subjects (p>0.05). CONCLUSIONS: Electrical taste thresholds were higher in Bell's palsy patients than in controls. These differences were observed in younger, but not in older, individuals.
Bell Palsy* ; Facial Paralysis* ; Healthy Volunteers ; Humans ; Palate, Soft ; Taste Threshold* ; Tongue ; Uvula