At the time, the function of the tonsils was thought to be absorption of secretions from the nose; it was assumed that removal of large amounts of tonsillar tissue would interfere with the ability to remove these secretions, causing them to accumulate in the larynx, resulting in hoarseness.
42.
HPV16 ( along with HPV18 ) is the same virus responsible for the vast majority of all cervical cancers and is the most common sexually transmitted infection in the US . Oral cancer in this group tends to favor the tonsil and tonsillar pillars, base of the tongue, and the oropharynx.
43.
In superiorly-based pharyngeal flaps, tonsils are a likely contributor to OSA . Surgical procedures such as uvulopalatopharyngoplasties and tonsillectomies may be required to resolve the OSA . Consequently, tonsillar tissue is an important area of pre-operative assessment ( Ysunza " et al . ", 1993 ).
44.
It divides near the levator veli palatini muscle into two branches : one supplies and follows the course of this muscle, and, winding over the upper border of the superior pharyngeal constrictor, supplies the soft palate and the palatine glands, anastomosing with its fellow of the opposite side and with the descending palatine branch of the maxillary artery; the other pierces the superior pharyngeal constrictor and supplies the palatine tonsil and auditory tube, anastomosing with the tonsillar branch of the facial artery and the ascending pharyngeal artery.
