Efficacy of laser-assisted uvulopalatoplasty in obstructive sleep apnea

Laser-assisted uvulopalatoplasty (LAUP) enlarges the oropharyngeal airway b y reshaping the uvula, soft palate, and tonsillar pillars. In contrast to a uvulopalatopharyngoplasty performed in the operating room, LAUP is staged over several office visits, is less costly, is bloodless, and is not associ ated with velopharyngeal insufficiency or stenosis. Previous studies have d ocumented the efficacy of LAUP in the treatment of snoring. We explore the efficacy of LAUP in the treatment of obstructive sleep apnea. Forty-eight p atients comprised the study group. Each patient snored, exhibited > 50% pal atal collapse on Muller's maneuver, and had nocturnal polysomnography showi ng a respiratory disturbance index (RDI)> 10. Each patient underwent LAUP u ntil he or she reported that snoring had ceased. Of the 29 patients who und erwent post-LAUP nocturnal polysomnography, 7 had RDIs < in, oxygen saturat ion > 86%, and no cardiac arrhythmias. LAUP reduced RDI to < 10 in patients with pre-LAUP apnea indexes < 3 (P = 0.05) or pre-LAUP RDIs < 30 (P = 0.01 ). The following variables did not correlate with the success of LAUP in tr eating obstructive sleep apnea: age, sex, pre-LAUP weight, pre-LAUP body ma ss index, perioperative weight change, perioperative body mass index change , pre-LAUP snoring, and post-LAUP snoring. We conclude that LAUP is an effe ctive means of treating patients with RDIs < 30.