高锰酸钾痔疮坐浴刺痛:了解身体之：腋窝

关于小小胳肢窝，你所不知道的一切

Gabriel Weston

作者：Gabriel Weston

guardian.co.uk, Monday 1 August 2011 21.00 BST 

《卫报》网站，2011.8.1星期一 21:00 BST

Article history 

文章历史

This article was published on guardian.co.uk at 21.00 BST on Monday 1 August 2011. A version appeared on p15 of the G2 section of the Guardian on Tuesday 2 August 2011. It was last modified at 18.23 BST on Tuesday 2 August 2011. 

本文于2011.8.1星期一21:00BST在《卫报》网站发布。一个版本刊于2011.8.2星期二的《卫报》G2版第15页。最后修改于2011.8.2星期二18:23BST。

The axilla is the medical term for the armpit. Photograph: Image Source/Getty Images/Image Source

腋窝是“胳肢窝”的医学术语。照片：图像资源网/盖蒂图片社/图像资源网

I never thought much of the axillae – or armpits – before becoming a doctor. They were ticklish, they sweated, I sometimes got round to shaving them. During my first year as a medical student, however, I stood over a cadaver and learned about the eponymous lymph nodes, artery and vein, contained within, plus parts of the brachial nerve plexus.

       我从来没对腋窝（或胳肢窝）想得很多，直到成为一名医生。它们怕痒，它们会出汗，我有时候抽出时间来剃掉它们。然而，在我作为一名医学学生的第一年里，我看着一具尸体，学习包含在里面的同名淋巴结、动脉和静脉，还有部分的臂神经丛。

A few years later, as a general surgery junior, I realised their importance. A man was rushed by ambulance into A&E, after having slipped while putting out his rubbish. He was carrying the bag under one arm when a bottle broke and a single shard stabbed him in the armpit. It took the vascular surgeons hours to find the piece of glass that had entered his axilllary vein and was making its way towards his heart.

       几年之后，作为一名普通外科学实习医生，我认识到它们的重要性。一名男子去倒垃圾的时候滑倒，被救护车送进来急症室。当时他的一只手臂下提着那包垃圾，一个玻璃瓶破了，一块碎片插进了胳肢窝。花去了血管外科医生数小时才找到那片玻璃，玻璃已经进入了他的腋窝静脉，而且向着他的心脏走去。1

Later while working in a dermatology clinic, I met a patient suffering from hidradenitis suppurativa. This disease affects the skin of areas of the body bearing sweat glands. It causes inflammation, discharge and chronic scarring. Although antibiotics and steroids can provide relief, for this young man the only treatment that proved successful was the removal of all hair-bearing areas of his axilla.

       之后在一个皮肤诊所工作的时候，我遇到一位患化脓性汗腺炎的病人。这个病会影响身体带有汗腺区域的皮肤。它会导致发炎、流脓和长期结疤。虽然抗生素和类固醇可以提供缓解，但对于这位年轻人来说，唯一证明有效的治疗方法是移除他腋窝的所有长出毛发的地方。

In the past month I have also learned how to administer Botox there, to treat excessive sweating. The patient lies back, hands behind their head as I clean each axilla with iodine. I mix the Botox with saline, drawing it up into two syringes, each tipped with a tiny, yellow needle, then inject it at multiple points across the armpit. This works by blocking the chemical responsible for sending signals from the sympathetic nervous system to the sweat glands. As most patients enjoy relief from their symptoms for six to 10 months, this is a very satisfying procedure to perform.

       在过去的一个月里，我还学到了如何在那里注射肉毒杆菌素，以治疗过度流汗。病人躺下，手放在头后面，然后我用碘酒清洁每个腋窝。我将肉毒杆菌素和盐水混合，抽到两支注射器里，每支注射器的末端都带有一个微小的、黄色的针头，然后把它注射到整个腋窝下的多个点。这是通过阻止负责从交感神经系统传送信号到汗腺的化学物质来运作。大部分病人享受到六至十个月的症状缓解，所以这是可以去做的一个非常令人满意的手术。