Elongated uvula - pediatric

Case contributed by Olurotimi Komolafe
Diagnosis certain

Presentation

Two day history of increasingly labored breathing and drooling

Patient Data

Age: 2 years
Gender: Male
x-ray

Marked narrowing of the nasopharyngeal and upper oropharyngeal airways by a combination of an enlarged, elongated uvula and adenoidal hypertrophy.

Note his mother's fingers (who held him for the exposure) projected over the orbit.

Case Discussion

The finding of an elongated uvula is a medical rarity.

The few documented cases in medical literature have presented with symptoms such as chronic cough, recurrent upper airway obstruction, and obstructive sleep apnea. Uvulectomy is curative.

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