Laser-assisted uvulopalatoplasty (LAUP) uses lasers to remove the soft tissue from the back of the throat and from the palate (the roof of the mouth separating the mouth from the nasal cavity.) The surgery has worked well in the removal of this tissue. However, the problem lies in the scar tissue that forms after the surgery. These scars often block off the airways worse than the original soft fatty tissue did.
Yehuda Finkelstein, a researcher at Sapir Medical Center in Israel reported in a recent issue of the Journal of Otolaryngology - Head and Neck Surgery that few patients get the relief they desire and for many, the symptoms become significantly worse. Although first results seemed positive, with almost 90% reporting improvements in snoring and a lessening of apnea episodes, the symptoms tended to return and even become worse in a year or two. In fact, only about a third of those patients receiving the LAUP surgery could be deemed successful cases.
Dr. Finkelstein suggests that, considering the results of his research, LAUP might not be the best treatment for sleep apnea.
So, perhaps, after all CPAP does remain the best treatment to date for sleep apnea. Added to a change in lifestyle - weight control, stopping smoking, avoiding alcohol, keeping regular hours - CPAP can effectively control sleep apnea and allow the victim to live a more normal life.
Coping with CPAP equipment does take time and practice, just like anything else that's worth doing. Dry mouth, tangled straps, hay fever like symptoms, any or all of these things can, and do, occur. When in doubt, discuss it with your sleep specialist or lab technician. Sometimes the solution is as simple as a minor adjustment to pressure. You may need chin straps to make sure you keep your mouth closed and breathe through your nose. For the discomforts of hay fever symptoms, you may need to purchase a warm air humidifier.
I have always considered surgery - any type of surgery - as a last resort when all else has failed. For many people surgery may not be necessary. If you are considering surgery, be sure you have exhausted all other answers. You can always make changes to your CPAP mask, setting, and attachments or to your lifestyle. Surgery is irreversible and if it makes your condition worse, there's not much you can do.
