The Facts of Sleep Apnea Surgery

What is the best treatment for sleep apnea? It seems that this is a question that plenty of people would like to be answered with. But there is no simple answer. There are several ways to treat sleep apnea. How that can be done depends on the factors such as the type of the sleep apnea disorder, the overall health of the patient, how severe the condition is, etc. The different conditions mean different treatments and different approaches. Most of the people can easily deal with this disorder on several conservative ways. However, in case when everything else fails or when the condition is too severe and there is no time for any other treatment the only solution is sleep apnea surgery. Sleep apnea surgery for certain cases is the only possible treatment. There are several sleep apnea surgeries that can be done in order to treat this disorder. Uvulopalatopharyngoplasty (UPPP), laser-assisted uvulopalatopharyngoplasty (LAUP), pillar palatal treatment, tracheostomy are the most common surgery procedures performed for curing sleep apnea.

Uvulopalatopharyngoplasty (UPP) is a surgical procedure that includes removing soft tissue at the back of the throat. With it the tonsils and the adenoids are removed if present, part or all of the uvula, or parts of the soft palate. As a result of it the airway paths are to be wider opened, some of the muscle action is to be blocked in order to keep the airway open and to improve the closure of the soft palate. Usually the patients need to stay some time at the hospital while the complete recovery process can take up to several weeks. The chances for a complication are really small and there are plenty of statistical numbers to confirm that. The laser-assisted uvulopalatopharyngoplasty (LAUP) operation is a variation of uvulopalatopharyngoplasty (UPPP). It is a procedure that can be done in the doctor`s office. Usually is done to help reduce the snoring. With it much less tissue can be removed of the throat than with UPPP. However, some of the doctors are even worried that once snoring is eliminated as a symptom it would be much harder for them to diagnose the patient if more severe condition of sleep apnea happens to them.

Pillar palatal implant is a surgery that is used for treating mild to moderate apnea. However, reduction in snoring is the main goal of this surgery. With the help of the implant the movement and the vibration of the soft palates are significantly reduced. The procedure takes not more than 10 minutes and it can be easily done in the doctor`s office. According to some of the studies this procedure produces the same results as UPPP, with much quicker recovery time and much less pain. The procedure includes three short pieces of polyester strings that the doctor will insert into the soft palate. Tracheostomy was the only known surgery treatment in the past. Even though it sounds bit scary but this is relatively easy procedure. Surgeon makes an opening through the neck and inserts a tube into the windpipe. Even though the success rate is almost 100%, this surgery is rarely done. That is so because the procedure can cause number of psychological and medical problems associated with the recovery process. The doctors recommend it only when there is nothing else to be done. Surgery for nasal obstructions, maxillomandibular advancement (MMA), hyoid advancement surgery, genioplasty, genioglossus are other types of sleep apnea surgeries that can help with apnea as well.