What to Expect During Somnoplasty Surgery

Chances are that you have already heard about the effectiveness of the people-friendly surgery to cure snoring called somnoplasty. Developed by Somnus Medical Technologies in California and approved by FDA in 1997, somnoplasty surgery is one of the simplest and most convenient ways to get rid of that annoying and distressing sleeping disorder – snoring.

According to many experts, somnoplasty surgery is perhaps the best choice for treating disturbances associated with upper respiratory tract. But not many of us know what exactly happens during a somnoplasty surgery and what we should expect. After all, it always makes more sense to know more about the procedure before one goes under the surgeon’s scalpel. Here is some basic information about the subject:

What happens during somnoplasty surgery?

Snoring happens when the uvula and soft palate vibrate, creating a sound while a person is sleeping. Because the uvula and soft palate cause a blockage in the air passage, it results in sleeping disorders like snoring and sleep apnea. The primary aim of somnoplasty surgery is to clear the upper-airway of obstructions.

Somnoplasty surgery can be used to treat three conditions: habitual snoring originating from uvula and soft palate; chronic nasal obstruction originating from enlarged turbinates; and obstructive sleep apnea and upper airway resistance syndrome.

Somnoplasty surgery for treating habitual snoring involves removing tissues of the uvula and soft palate. For treating obstructive sleep apnea the procedure reduces the soft tissue in the upper airway including the base of the tongue. The source of the obstruction is usually most difficult to treat.

Somnoplasty surgery is performed by using very low levels of radiofrequency heat energy. This creates very fine burn areas beneath the lining of the soft tissues of the throat. The tissues of the finely burn areas are gradually absorbed and the relevant tissues shrink in volume. This ultimately clears the air passage, allows normal breathing and cures snoring and other sleeping disorders mentioned above.

When the procedure is performed for obstructive sleep apnea, the heat generated is about 85 degrees Celsius. This heat energy creates finely controlled lesions at the relevant locations within the upper respiratory airway. The tissue is protected from thermal damage by using an insulated sleeve at the base of the needle electrode. The lesions that are created are naturally absorbed by the body within 3 to 8 weeks. All extra tissues are reduced and the airway is rendered obstruction-free. It takes about 5 to 10 minutes for radiofrequency energy delivery and 30 to 45 minutes to perform the surgery.

Performed under local anesthesia in an out patient clinic of an ENT surgeon, the procedure takes about 30 minutes for completion.

What happens after somnoplasty surgery?

Here are some of the after-effects of the somnoplasty procedure:

• You might experience some swelling and discomfort. Doctors usually recommend some pain killers for 2 to 3 days. A sore throat is another reported side effect of somnoplasty surgery.

• Some patients have reported pain after the surgery but the pain usually lasts only for a few hours. Post-surgical pain can be treated by effective over the counter pain killers

• The possible complications after somnoplasty surgery are similar to any outpatient surgery and may include bleeding, infection, inflammation and blood clots. Tissues surrounding the operated area may get injured during the process.

• At times, somnoplasty surgery does not yield the desired results. In such cases, a second surgery is usually performed.

• If your surgery is successful, you should start to see a reduction in your snoring in one to two weeks after the surgery, and will continue to reduce for several months after the operation.