Lasers in Snoring Treatments

For most people, snoring is just a nuisance. But for a few, it can lead to obstructive sleep apnea, where loud snoring is interrupted by periods where breathing stops completely. This is a serious condition and can even be fatal in some cases. Fortunately, a new treatment for snoring is now available, which uses lasers to treat this syndrome. This laser snoring treatment, known as LAUP, which stands for Laser Assisted Uvulo Palatoplasty, is designed to trim and reshape the uvula and soft palate.

What Happens During Laser Snoring Treatment?

After a local anesthetic, Lidocaine, is applied, CO2 lasers are used to make two incisions in the soft palate, and then to vaporize carefully selected parts of the uvula and palate while the patient is seated upright in an examination chair, fully awake. The procedure is painless and takes about ten minutes for each operation. The full laser snoring treatment takes place over one to five sessions, spaced around four weeks apart.

Advantages and Disadvantages of Laser Snoring Treatment

Because the laser snoring treatment is carried out with microscopic precision and at very high temperatures, there is little, if any, bleeding. Pain is kept to a minimum, though the patient might have a sore throat and swallowing may be painful for a week to 10 days after each procedure, though this can be treated with regular, over the counter sore throat medicine. Occasionally, a temporary voice change may occur. The success rate is high, over 90 percent, with the majority of patients noticing a reduction or even the complete elimination of snoring after only two sessions.

The main disadvantage of laser snoring treatment is the cost, around $500 per procedure, plus an evaluation fee. Many insurance carriers will not cover the cost except for in-patient treatment carried out in a hospital in very severe cases of sleep apnea, where the medical necessity for laser snoring treatment has been established.

Relapses After Laser Snoring Treatment

A study carried out in Canterbury, England on patients two years after laser snoring treatment found that, as with other laser treatments, there was a relapse in some patients. The survey found a relapse rate of 22 percent in patients who has shown success six months after treatment. In addition, the heat from the lasers could sometimes cause a narrowing of the airways and fibrosis of the palate, leading to the sleep apnea being worse than it was before the treatment. These factors need to be taken into consideration when considering laser snoring treatment.