Snoring Surgery

Surgery for snoring is a treatment of last resort and should only be considered if the simple non-surgical alternatives have been tried.

Before embarking on palatal surgery you should be sure that the snoring originates from the palate as opposed to the base of the tongue.

Depending on the type of snoring problem you are encountering, there is a snoring surgery for the same; today snoring surgery is believed to be the best way to resolve snoring permanently. Snoring surgery is an easy procedure, which does not take long and is usually successful.

The surgery of snoring aims at correcting the following where necessary:

* Poor nasal airflow.

* Loose tissues in the throat.

* Loose tissues in the roof of mouth - soft palate.

* Large tonsils and adenoids.

* Jaw abnormalities.

* Excess neck fat.

The most common snoring surgery is that of widening the nasal passages so that the air can flow freely. Snoring surgeries are usually performed under total anesthesia and the patient does not feel any pain during or after the procedure. You may have a couple of bruises after the snoring surgery depending on if you have a sensitive skin or not but you will definitely have no more snoring for the rest of your life.

There are four basic surgical procedures:

• Uvulopalatopharyngoplasty (UPPP)
• Laser-assisted uvulopalatoplasty (LAUP)
• Palatal stiffening operations (CAPSO)
• Radio-frequency ablation (Somnoplasty)

UPPP usually involves removing the uvula and pharyngeal arches, partial removal of the soft palate and sometimes the tonsils. This procedure is performed under general anesthetic. Research indicates that UPPP is often complicated by severe post-operative pain. UPPP is the only procedure that increases the width of the oropharynx.

LAUP is performed under local or general anesthetic and is considered to be a safer, more economical and a more comfortable alternative to UPPP. It involves vaporizing the free edge of the soft palate and uvula using a laser. The tonsils are not removed with this procedure.

CAPSO or electrical cautery burns the palate causing fibrosis and consequent stiffening of the soft palate. It is also used a means to remove a longitudinal strip of mucosa along the soft palate or uvula. This procedure is performed during a single out-patient visit under local anesthetic. This snoring surgery has fewer complications.

Radio-frequency ablation is designed to shrink redundant tissue of the soft palate. The treatment involves heating the inner tissue to 85ºC which results in the tissue beneath the skin being scarred. Somnoplasty is minimally invasive and creates controlled lesions that have little effect on surrounding tissues. The procedure takes about 20 minutes, can be performed in an out-patient clinic and does not carry the same complications as the other procedures.

These snoring surgeries do not have serious side effects and you can continue your regular activities immediately after the procedure.