Uvulotomy

A uvulotomy, also called staphylotomy or uvulectomy, is any cutting operation performed on the uvula. It was performed in European medieval medicine, and is still practiced as folk medicine in some countries, including Tigray, where it is sometimes carried out as part of a naming ceremony on a child's seventh day; the practice is also documented in Niger, Israel, and the Maghreb region, where it is called traditional uvulectomy to distinguish it from medical treatment. In the twentieth century, uvulotomy came into use as a medical treatment for snoring, closely related to the more extensive procedure uvulopalatopharyngoplasty.