SURGICAL RELIEF OF SNORING DUE TO PALATAL FLUTTER - A PRELIMINARY-REPORT

We describe our experience in the surgical treatment of 32 patients wi th severe snoring. In the first 16 patients we used the standard surgi cal procedure of uvulopalatopharyngoplasty (UPP) but found this unsati sfactory because of its radical nature, complications and uncertain ou tcome. We therefore investigated the mechanics of snoring in the labor atory as a help in devising a more effective operation. These studies have shown that there are several methods by which snoring can be gene rated but that palatal flutter is probably the most important. The dom inant parameters in the generation of flutter of the palate are its le ngth and stiffness. Any removal of tissue to shorten the palate as in UPP inevitably risks impairing its function, so we chose the stiffenin g alternative. Using the laser, a central longitudinal strip of mucosa was removed from the surface of the soft palate which healed by fibro sis, producing the required stiffening. The early results of this new procedure show that snoring has been eliminated or greatly reduced in 14 of 16 patients and that apart from local pain there have been no co mplications.