For better or worse: laser surgery for snoring
December 2nd, 2007Approximately 45 percent of the adult population in the world snores at least occasionally, while 25 percent are chronic snorers. Women and little children also snore at some point although this condition is most frequent in men and obese people and becomes worse with age. The vibratory sound, we call snoring, is produced when the free flow of air passing the air passage is obstructed and vibrates against the soft tissues on the nose and the throat area. Previously regarded as a mere nuisance, snoring has been recently associated with obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) and Upper Airway Resistance Syndrom (UARS), as well as illnesses like hypertension, high blood pressure, and cardiovascular diseases.
With the recent findings, snorers have become conscious of their condition and desperate in looking for cures to their snoring problems. In 1990, patients who became frustrated with the home remedies, orthodontic appliances, and Continuous Positive Airway Pressure (CPAP) to cure snoring agreed to undergo the Laser-Assisted Uvula Palatoplasty (LAUP).
LAUP uses laser surgery for snoring and mild OSA by vaporizing the uvula and a part of the soft palate in a series of non-invasive procedures. Patients undergoing laser surgery for snoring are treated with a local anesthesia in an outpatient operation. Once the anesthesia takes effect, the doctor administers a CO2 laser to make two vertical incisions in the soft palate on each side of the uvula shortening it to eliminate that, which causes the obstruction. It takes five clinic visits each spaced four to eight weeks apart for the laser surgery for snoring to complete.









