LASER-ASSISTED UVULOPALATOPLASTY FOR OBSTRUCTIVE SLEEP-APNEA

Laser-assisted uvulopalatoplasty (LAUP) can reduce snoring by sequenti ally removing excessive vibratory tissue of the velopharynx. The proce dure can be performed under local anesthesia in an office setting, Sin ce the appearance of the soft palate is similar after both LAUP and uv ulopalatopharyngoplasty, LAUP may also be efficacious in the managemen t of obstructive sleep apnea syndrome (OSAS). LAUP was performed in 34 consecutive prospectively evaluated patients with OSAS, Of the 34 pat ients, 28 (82%) were male; the mean age was 53 years, and the mean bod y mass index was 31.1. In the study population of 13 patients who comp leted preoperative and postoperative sleep studies, the apnea index de creased from 19.4 to 4.2 (P=.006), the respiratory disturbance index ( RDI) decreased from 31.2 to 15.7 (P=.092), and mean lowest oxyhemoglob in saturation increased from 82.3% to 85.0% (P=.581). The RDI fell to 10 or lower in 38.5.% of patients and was reduced by at least 50% in 5 3.8% of the study group. Snoring was significantly reduced in 92.3% of patients (P<.001). These early results suggest that LAUP may be effic acious in the management of OSAS.