Snoring Surgery
Snoring Surgery
When a person snores, their breathing becomes obstructed while they are sleeping. This typically occurs when the muscles in the throat relax during sleep, which causes them to vibrate when an individual is breathing. In some cases of snoring, it is often severe enough to require surgery.
Since there are various treatment options for snoring surgery , the following discusses procedures that are commonly performed.
Uvulopalatopharyngoplasty
While most forms of snoring surgery are performed on an outpatient basis, uvulopalatopharyngoplasty, commonly referred to as UPPP, is an inpatient procedure that often requires many weeks of recovery. This procedure involves the removal of excess throat tissue. The tonsils, a portion of the soft palate and the uvula, which resides in the back of the throat, are often removed during the surgery.
When these tissues are removed, it can help to expand the airway and allow air to flow through the throat more efficiently. By improving airflow, this snoring surgery can help reduce the likelihood of vibrations caused by excess tissue, which can help to eliminate snoring. While this surgery may reduce the occurrence of snoring initially, it may not be effective over time, as upwards of 70 percent of individuals who had this procedure suggest that it is not a permanent solution to snoring.
Laser-assisted Uvulopalatoplasty
Laser-assisted uvulopalatoplasty is an outpatient procedure that attempts to reduce snoring with the assistance of a laser beam. After the application of a local anesthetic that covers the entire throat and specific areas of the throat such as the tonsils, soft palate and uvula, a carbon dioxide laser removes a small part of the uvula and the soft palate. Since snoring is caused by the vibrations of excess tissue within the throat, this procedure can help to reduce snoring through the partial removal of these tissues.
While the length of time this procedure takes is relatively short and takes about a half an hour, the entire process is completed within three to five treatments. In addition to snoring, this procedure has been effective in treating sleep apnea. Patients who undergo this procedure can expect discomfort for up to two weeks after the snoring surgery , although this procedure is more effective when compared to uvulopalatopharyngoplasty, as 85 percent of patients have experienced a significant reduction in snoring.
Somnoplasty
Somnoplasty, which is also called radiofrequency volumetric tissue reduction, is a minimally invasive snoring surgery . During this procedure, a low level of radiofrequency energy is directed at the soft palate, uvula or tongue. These areas are pierced by a small needle, which results in the tissues surrounding these areas in the throat becoming constricted due to the radiofrequency thermal energy.
When these tissues come in contact with heat, they become damaged and get reabsorbed by the body over a period of four to six weeks. After this period of time, these tissues decrease in size and stiffen, which helps to reduce snoring over the long term. Only the inner tissues are affected, while the outer tissues are left unharmed. In comparison to laser-assisted uvulopalatoplasty, somnoplasty is a snoring procedure that results in much less discomfort and is slightly more successful in reducing snoring.
Tongue Suspension Procedure
During the tongue suspension procedure, or the Repose system, a titanium screw is placed through the lower jaw, which is attached to a suture that is placed through the tongue. This snoring surgery is aimed to prevent the airway from becoming blocked by keeping the tongue supported during sleep, rather than falling backward.
While this is an outpatient snoring surgery and performed under general anesthesia, the procedure takes less than 20 minutes to complete. The main benefits of this surgery when compared to other snoring surgery options is that the procedure can be reversed and it can also be performed alongside other procedures, which can increase its effectiveness.
Injection Snoreplasty
Injection snoreplasty is a nonsurgical option for snoring that involves the injection of sodium tetradecyl sulfate, a hardening agent, just into the upper palate and directly by the uvula. This action results in a blister, which will gradually transform into scar tissue and keep the uvula from falling backwards. Doing so helps to reduce snoring by eliminating the vibrations that occur from the uvula.
When compared to other snoring surgeries, injection snoreplasty has proven to be effective for nearly 92 percent of individuals. Pain is drastically reduced and can be easily managed with over-the-counter pain relievers or a numbing throat spray. While this procedure is effective at reducing snoring, it only treats snoring that occurs as a result of vibrations from the uvula. Individuals who experience snoring due to a different cause will require another form of snoring surgery.