Simpler Surgery for Sleep Apnea (and Snoring)

People who have obstructive sleep apnea may be faced with surgery, if other treatments fail to relieve the problem. Surgery is reserved for the more advanced cases, if they are not adequately treated with positive-pressure breathing systems (e.g. CPAP or BiPAP). But now a simpler type of surgery may mean that it can be used effectively in less severe cases, before the need for more complicated throat surgery.

Palatal implants are designed for treating mild to moderate obstructive sleep apnea and socially disruptive snoring. Three cylindrical polyethylene implants, ¾ of an inch long, are implanted under local anesthetic into the soft palate. They prevent the soft palate from fluttering and collapsing during sleep. Clinical studies show that the implants are associated with elimination of snoring in 60% of the patients. Quality of Life tests, sleep apnea scores, and sleepiness scales all improved, compared with untreated patients over the same period. In my childhood, I remember my mother sewing a wooden cotton-reel into the back of my father’s pajamas, to stop him sleeping on his back (and snoring). I guess nowadays he’d be a candidate for palatal implants.