Is it normal to have the uvula (hangy ball) removed with a Tonsillectomy?!
Question:
Is it normal to have the uvula (hangy ball) removed with a Tonsillectomy?
My daugher had her tonsils out aprox. 1 mo ago. I hadn't actually looked in her throat as it hurt her to open her mouth very wide. However, tonight I looked & her uvula is gone...is that normal procedure?
Answers:
I am not an ENT surgeon, but I can think of two reasons. I am going to assume that your daughter also had her adenoids removed. The adenoids lie behind the soft palate, so you cannot see them. If they are removed, the resultant scar tissue contracts and draws the uvula upward, sometimes making it appear like it has disappeared. In most cases, the uvula will re-appear.
The second reason is that it could have been accidentally removed with the adenoids. The insturment some surgeons use to remove the adenoids is like a guillotine, and the uvula can get caught in it.
There are reports of removing the uvula to cure obstructive sleep apnea. I am uncertain whether this is standard procedure. I think not.