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Laser-Assisted Uvulopalatoplasty Most Effective In Patients With Greater Respiratory Disturbance

Sixty percent of patients with sleep disordered breathing show improvements after laser-assisted uvulopalatoplasty.

However, the greatest benefit is seen in patients who have over 40 respiratory disturbances per hour preoperatively, while only 25 percent of patients with a preoperative respiratory disturbance index of less than 20 per hour show improvement with this treatment, according to researchers.

The researchers investigated the effect of laser-assisted uvulopalatoplasty on snoring volume, snoring duration, apnea index, respiratory disturbance index and desaturation index.

Forty-three patients with sleep-disordered breathing were included in the study. The patients had pre-laser-assisted uvulopalatoplasty history and physical examinations. They also had otolaryngologic examinations, which included fibre-optic endoscopy.

All patients underwent polysomnograms before and after treatment with laser-assisted uvulopalatoplasty. The treatment procedure was performed in-office using a CO₂ laser with local anaesthetic. Post-laser-assisted uvulopalatoplasty polysomnography was performed an average of 9.4 weeks after the operation.

Results showed that, overall, 60 percent of patients showed significant improvement. Most improvements occurred in those patients who had a preoperative respiratory disturbance index greater than 40 per hour.
J Otolaryngol 2001; 30(4): 212. "Does Laser-Assisted Uvulopalatoplasty Work? An Objective Analysis Using Pre- and Postoperative Polysomnographic Studies"

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