Sleep Apnea

Sleep Apnea Treatment, Tongue Reduction by Somnoplasty

Posted on 26. Dec, 2009 by admin in Treatments for Obstructive and Mixed Apneas

In tongue reduction by Somnoplasty,  the goal is to decrease the bulk of the tongue so it does not obstruct the throat. In the past, a scalpel or laser was used to remove a notch of tissue at the back of the tongue, sometimes along with some tonsil tissue that is located at the base of the tongue. Because Somnoplasty is such a new technique, no one knows whether this type of surgery on the tongue will be more or less effective than the laser method, so results are difficult to predict.

The success of tongue reduction surgery in treating apnea also is difficult to predict. Two groups of surgeons reported the results of laser tongue surgery on 24 patients who had already had unsuccessful UPPP surgery. Following laser tongue surgery, fewer than than half of the procedures were considered “successful,” and those patients still had an average RDI above 10 and blood oxygen levels below 90, which means that many of them would still end up on CPAP.  Tongue Somnoplasty is still an experimental procedure, but shows some promise as a treatment for obstructive sleep apnea.

How Does Somnoplasty Compare with LAUP and Conventional UPPP?

Somnoplasty is less risky than UPPP, involving less bleeding, no hospitalization, and no general anesthetic. According to one published report, Somnoplasty is less painful than LAUP during recovery. The cost of Somnoplasty currently is $1,600 to $2,000 and usually is not paid for by insurance.

Related posts:

1. Can Palate Somnoplasty Effectively Treat Sleep Apnea? In palate surgery by Somnoplasty, a series of lesions are created in the soft palate over the course of...
2. What Are the Risks from Somnoplasty? Because Somnoplasty requires only a local rather than a general anesthetic, it may involve fewer surgical risks than scalpel...
3. Sleep Apnea Treatment, Somnoplasty™ (Radiofrequency Surgical Ablation) Somnoplasty is another new technique. It uses radiofrequency energy to shrink the bulk of soft tissue. In 1998 the U.S....
4. Laser Surgery to Treat Snoring Laser-assisted uvulopalatoplasty (LAUP) is a newer technique for surgery on the soft palate that has been promoted recently as a...
5. Base of Tongue Reduction for Obstructive Sleep Apnea www.FauquierENT.net – Base of tongue reduction is demonstrated here using coblation for patients with severe obstructive sleep apnea. Surgery...

Tags: Somnoplasty, Tongue Reduction