A HISTOPATHOLOGICAL COMPARISON OF THE UVULA BETWEEN SNORERS AND NON-SNORERS

Snoring is a very common problem but there are few publications on the histological findings of the soft palate/uvula and these lack consist ency. The relative proportions of tissue types in the base of the uvul a removed from 17 adults who underwent uvulopalatopharyngoplasty for h eavy snoring were therefore compared with 14 cadaveric specimens. The mean percentage of muscle from the snoring group was 12.1 % compared w ith 7.2 % in the control group (P < 0.05). The percentage of fibrous t issue was greater in the cadavers (52.8 % vs 45.5 % in the snorers, P < 0.05). The percentage of muscle was inversely related to the percent age of fibrous tissue in the snoring group (P < 0.02). We hypothesize that these changes are a consequence of the repetitive forces on the s oft palate during snoring rather than being related to the pathogenesi s of snoring.