Introduction
Shayne C. Gad in Toxicology of the Gastrointestinal Tract, 2018
The extrinsic muscles of the tongue, which originate outside the tongue and insert into connective tissues in the tongue, include the hyoglossus, genioglossus, and styloglossus muscles. The extrinsic muscles move the tongue from side to side and in and out to maneuver food for chewing, shape the food into a rounded mass, and force the food to the back of the mouth for swallowing. They also form the floor of the mouth and hold the tongue in position. The intrinsic muscles originate in and insert into connective tissue within the tongue. They alter the shape and size of the tongue for speech and swallowing. The intrinsic muscles include the longitudinalis superior, longitudinalis inferior, transversus linguae, and verticalis linguae muscles. The lingual frenulum, a fold of mucous membrane in the midline of the undersurface of the tongue, is attached to the floor of the mouth and aids in limiting the movement of the tongue posteriorly. If a person’s lingual frenulum is abnormally short or rigid—a condition called ankyloglossia—then eating and speaking are impaired such that the person is said to be “tongue-tied.”
Surgery
Michael Stolberg in Gabrielle Falloppia, 1522/23–1562, 2023
Falloppia paid more attention to the treatment of a penis that was too small. One could blame him, Falloppia said, for talking about such an “obscene” topic. A sufficiently large penis was not just a matter of beauty, however. It was necessary for the preservation of the species. If the penis was not sufficiently large, the woman felt no pleasure, did not secrete semen, and did not conceive. Parents should therefore ensure from infancy that their son’s genitals developed sufficiently. A frenulum that was too short could be in the way. Essential for sufficient size was, above all, frequent expansion. Coitus could contribute to this but was ultimately less suitable because it lasted only a short time. It was more effective to continuously stimulate the inflow of the spiritus responsible for the expansion. Arabic authors recommended daily rubbing with sheep’s milk or even fats, especially fats like castoreum, which stimulated desire at the same time. Otherwise, the external application of warming agents and, if necessary, remedies that softened the tense nerves on the back of the penis helped.
Disorders of Speech and Language
John C Watkinson, Raymond W Clarke, Christopher P Aldren, Doris-Eva Bamiou, Raymond W Clarke, Richard M Irving, Haytham Kubba, Shakeel R Saeed in Paediatrics, The Ear, Skull Base, 2018
Tongue tie (ankyloglossia) is characterized by tethering of the anterior part of the tongue to the floor of the mouth by a short lingual frenulum (Figure 17.3). It is usually asymptomatic but may restrict tongue mobility in the newborn and give rise to difficulties with breastfeeding. Many parents present for treatment as they are concerned about the appearance of the tongue or about the potential for the condition to interfere with activities such as licking the lips and kissing. The condition tends to improve as the child gets older. There is no evidence to link tongue tie with speech and language disorders. Nevertheless, parents often request treatment. If treatment is required, a simple division of the frenulum is adequate. In the newborn, this can be undertaken without anaesthesia but older children require a general anaesthetic.
Critical roles of adherens junctions in diseases of the oral mucosa
Published in Tissue Barriers, 2023
Christina Kingsley, Antonis Kourtidis
Situated in the central portion of the oral cavity, the tongue is important in mastication, or chewing to form a bolus of food, and also assists in swallowing. The tongue consists of stratified squamous epithelium and is attached to the floor of the mouth via a folded structure, called the frenulum.4 The ventral portion of the tongue consists of stratified squamous, non-keratinized epithelium, while the dorsum of the tongue is covered by a specialized mucosa that can be either keratinized or non-keratinized2 (Figure 1). Taste bud papillae are found predominantly on the tongue and palate. There are three types of papillae: a) fungiform located on the anterior portion; b) circumvallate, which are located on the posterior part of the tongue; and c) foliate papillae located on the lateral sides of the tongue.5
Lower urinary tract symptoms/benign prostatic hyperplasia and erectile dysfunction: from physiology to clinical aspects
Published in The Aging Male, 2018
Aldo E. Calogero, Giovanni Burgio, Rosita A. Condorelli, Rossella Cannarella, Sandro La Vignera
Physical examination must search for signs related to causes of ED, including chest evaluation (presence of gynecomastia – enlargement of the chest and/or mammalian button >2 cm; search for signs of chronic cardio-pulmonary diseases), distribution of body hair and androgenization grade. Evaluation of penis prostate and testes is mandatory to establish-related volumes: according to patient’s age, small testes and/or small prostate volume might imply hypogonadism. It is important to ask for eventual muscular force decrement, as well as a decrease in beard and body hair growth. Assessment of the peripheral vascular system is also important to determine the characteristics of the pulse, to ascertain the presence of an arterial bruit (a vascular sound that is associated with turbulent blood flow). Increased pulse rate (tachycardia) might suggest hyperthyroidism, whereas reduced pulse rate (bradycardia) might be evident in men with heart block (arrhythmia), hypothyroidism or in those who use certain drugs (e.g. β-blockers). Diminished or absent pulses in the various arteries examined could be indicative of impaired blood flow caused by atherosclerosis. The evaluation of the penis in the flaccid state might show the presence of Peyronie disease (involving palpable fibrous plaques), phimosis (congenital narrowing of the opening of the foreskin) or frenulum breve (whereby the tissue under the glans penis that connects to the foreskin is too short and restricts the movement of the foreskin), which can all contribute to ED. Measurement of blood pressure, waist circumference and body mass index should also be performed [44].
Fractional CO2 laser therapy of lichen sclerosus in males: a new therapeutic opportunity?
Published in Journal of Dermatological Treatment, 2022
Francesca Ferrara, Stefano Messori, Diego Abbenante, Annalisa Patrizi, Federico Bardazzi
The onset of LS can occur at all ages, although a bimodal trend is typically seen: the average age of the first diagnosis in adults oscillates between 52 and 60 years, while in children it is at approximately 7.6 years of age (5,6). In men, LS usually involves the mucosa of the glans, the coronal groove, the frenulum and the foreskin, while in contrast, the involvement of the penis shaft is infrequent. According to Edmonds et al., 70% of the affected patients present involvement of the foreskin alone, 60% show implication of the glans, while in 40% of cases both structures are involved (7). The most frequent clinical presentation of the disease is characterized by itching, discomfort and dyspareunia at variable degrees (8). Therefore, in men, LS is usually a late diagnosis, probably due to its light and vague presentation and a less common practice to turn to a specialist when first symptoms arise (5,7,9). In approximately 2–20% of patients, LS can also affect the urethral meatus (10), which can lead to stenosis and/or occlusion of the urethra over time, often causing serious complications that may require a surgical intervention. In fact, balano-preputial adhesions can be formed as the disease progresses, as well as a gradual loss of elasticity, until phimosis. In many cases, such outcomes can lead to erectile dysfunction and painful erections.
Related Knowledge Centers
- Gastrointestinal Tract
- Mouth
- Physical Abuse
- Tongue
- Body
- Sex Organ
- Frenulum Veli
- Frenulum of The Tongue
- Lip
- Frenulum of Lower Lip