Airway blockage is not limited to the
nose or palate. Many snorers, in fact, have apnea as well. Symptoms of
excessive daytime sleepiness (EDS), morning headaches, near-miss accidents are all
possible signs of oxygen deprivation. These problems can be due to lack of space at
the hypopharynx and tongue levels.
Continuous Positive Airway Pressure or CPAP is an airway
"stent" treatment that is the gold standard. Once the diagnosis of obstructive
apnea is made, CPAP is begun to normalize the airway and cardio-vascular system. Sleep
patterns and exercise tolerance improves and the patient fells better.
Ultimately this may not be the treatment of choice, yet other
treatments must live up to this standard. The Somnoplasty technique is the most promising,
in our opinion.
Reduction of the tongue base can be accomplished using the
Somnoplasty approach. This RF treatment creates two lesions in the midline of the base of
the tongue that ultimately produces volume reduction. This improvement is usually seen
after four visits, waiting 6-8 weeks between treatments.
The first treatment requires overnight hospitalization, using the
CPAP apparatus, in order to help prevent short-term swelling. The remaining visits do not
often require admission.
A small and often posteriorly displaced lower jaw or microgenia
and/or retrognathia are seen with snoring and sleep apnea abnormalities. These may require
mandible or maxillary advancement surgery (MMO) to open up the throat and can be used in
addition to Somnoplasty.
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