Surgical Procedures to Stop Snoring
It is unfortunate that the majority of health insurance companies regard surgical procedures to stop snoring as elective or cosmetic. A physician will only opt for surgery in the worst of cases. Before surgery can be an option the ear, nose and throat specialist (otolaryngologist) must do a comprehensive examination of the neck, nose, palate, mouth and throat. It is not unusual for the specialist to want a sleep study
This is the most concrete way to determine just how bad the snoring is. The specialist will also get a good idea of how the snoring is affecting the sufferer’s health.
Once the specialist understands a particular situation he can make a diagnosis. He or she will choose a surgical procedure suited to a specific diagnosis. A procedure known as UPPP involves the taking away of excess tissues from the throat. Tissue could be taken from the tonsils, adenoids, uvula and pharynx. This is done to increase the air way. There is a good chance that widening the air way means a lessening in the snoring. It takes a day or two in hospital and then around three weeks to recover. During recovery the patient has difficulty in swallowing. There is a 46% to 73% chance of UPPP succeeding in the long term.
UPPP has been improved by the addition of LAUP (uvulopalatoplasty). The soft palate is shortened and the uvula is cut away by a laser. This is a procedure that could entail two to five outpatient appointments. These would be carried out with a four to six week time period between each procedure. One session takes around thirty minutes. Patients who snore loudly undergo laser treatment. Those with sleep apnea do not qualify for this treatment.
If there is a blockage in the nose or a deviated septum then nasal surgery can be done if this is the reason for the snoring.
The tongue is retracted and advanced by means of a muscle called the genioglossus. It is the most important muscle in the tongue. Advancement of hyoid and the genioglossus stops the slackening of the bottom of the throat. The hyoid is actually a bone at the bottom of the tongue that is shaped like a u. This bone supports the muscles of the tongue. A tiny screw is put into the bottom jawbone and stitched beneath the tongue. It is the suspension of the tongue that prevents it from curling back and blocking the air way. The screw method is one of the procedures carried out to treat sleep apnea. The screw method is not permanent and can be undone.
RFTA (Radio Frequency Tissue Ablation) is done with a needle electrode. It releases energy that shrinks extra tissue. The shrunken tissue is absorbed by the body. This procedure falls into the outpatient’s category. A local anesthetic is required and the patient has little pain and bleeding. The patient will need to undergo more than a single session. This procedure is still being researched to ascertain how well it works and its effect on health.
The latest procedure is coblation channeling. It does not shrink tissue. Coblation channeling shrinks extra tissue and then removes it.
