Yale researchers take on somnoplasty to treat sleep apnea
1/29/2001
NEW HAVEN, Conn. -- To treat snoring and obstructive sleep apnea, Yale researchers are using a radiofrequency technology called somnoplasty to shrink extra tissues in the nose and throat, and oral appliances to move the lower jaw forward during sleep.
"We've found this new approach effective in minimizing snoring and upper airway obstruction, which affects millions of Americans," says Douglas Ross, associate professor of surgery/otolaryngology at Yale. "These techniques can be done on an outpatient basis without significant morbidity."
Snoring occurs when floppy tissue in the back of the nose and throat airway relaxes during sleep and vibrates. Most snoring is caused by an enlarged soft palate and uvula at the back of the mouth. Somnoplasty treats snoring by reducing the volume of the soft palate tissue and stiffening it. Since snoring is primarily caused by the vibrating of the soft palate and uvula, this has the effect of reducing or eliminating snoring.
Yale physicians also use somnoplasty to treat obstructive sleep apnea syndrome, a disorder that causes people to stop breathing temporarily during sleep for 10 seconds or more at least five times per hour of sleep. Sleep apnea mainly affects middle-aged, overweight males. Symptoms include frequent and regular episodes of obstructed breathing during sleep.
Somnoplasty is used to shrink the upper airway, including the base of the tongue, that is the source of the obstruction.
Ross points out that somnoplasty may not be useful to treat apnea in some patients.