Sleep Apnea

Can LAUP Cure Sleep Apnea ?

Posted on 24. Dec, 2009 by admin in Treatments for Obstructive and Mixed Apneas

No, it cannot, according to analyses published to date. LAUP may be helpful as an adjunct treatment for mild to moderate apnea, with approximately 50 percent of patients obtaining 50 percent or better improvement. Careful examination of the airway may identify people who are likely to have poor results. These include patients with a large tongue and a small palate.

The main danger from LAUP is that people who have a potentially fatal disorder, sleep apnea, may have LAUP under the mistaken impression that the surgery will cure them. Sleep apnea is more than snoring.

The American Academy of Sleep Medicine’s standards of practice for LAUP recommend that patients be evaluated by a sleep specialist before having LAUP. People with sleep apnea should have a follow-up sleep study after surgery to determine whether the sleep apnea has been eliminated.

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Tags: LAUP, Sleep Apnea