SNORING RELIEF
Could there finally be a cure for snoring?
New data out of the annual meeting of the American Academy of Otolaryngology (ear, nose, and throat surgeons) shows a simple implanted device can have significant impact on the lives of people with sleep apnea, and those of their spouses. In some cases it has even helped patients stop snoring altogether.
The Pillar Procedure was just approved by the FDA as the first implantable device for the treatment of sleep apnea. The procedure offers succor to patients and their spouses who have been looking for a cure for snoring.
Sleep apnea is when the person’s airway gets obstructed by the soft tissue in the mouth, and he or she stops breathing repeatedly during the night.
The new research finds the Pillar Procedure, which involves placing matchstick sized pieces of polyester material into the soft palate, is highly effective for sleep apnea.
Snoring is reduced significantly as an additional benefit.
“Sleep apnea is never caused by nasal obstruction. It is caused from the soft palette or the tongue. Of the two places, the easiest to treat is the palette,” says Dr. Regina Walker, who authored the study which compared the pillar procedure to invasive surgery of the soft palate. “What we have found in approximately 30 patients has been very encouraging. We have had sleep studies back in about 15 of those as of this time and it’s very comparable to anything we are offering patients. The success rate is looking to be around 50%, plus or minus a little bit.”
Three of the pieces are placed in the soft palate--one in the midline of the soft palate, the other two are placed on either side. Because it’s a foreign body in the soft palate muscle, it causes a scar tissue to form around them, which tightens the tissue. The result: a stronger soft palate which is less likely to collapse and block the airway, and less likely to vibrate and cause snoring.
“I would much rather do this than go to the operating room and go through a surgical procedure,” states Dr. Walker.
A year after the study was performed, 70% of bedmates reported that snoring was no longer a problem, numbers that are similar to those of surgeries. The study found patients with sleep apnea who benefited from it had less daytime sleepiness because they got a better night’s sleep. They required no other sleep apnea treatment.
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