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CO 2 Laser palatoplasty: early results

1996; Cambridge University Press; Volume: 110; Issue: 8 Linguagem: Inglês

10.1017/s0022215100134875

1748-5460

Duncan R. Ingrams, P. D. R. Spraggs, M. Pringle, C. B. Croft,

Voice and Speech Disorders

It is now widely accepted that snoring causes significant social dysfunction. In the absence of obstructive sleep apnoea syndrome, palatal surgery offers a very good chance of eliminating or reducing snoring. The traditional operation of uvulopalatopharyngoplasty remains the 'gold standard', but may be complicated by velopharyngeal incompetence, severe post-operative pain and even nasopharyngeal stenosis. A newer technique to reduce snoring caused by palatal flutter by using a neodymnium:yttrium aluminum garnet laser to stiffen the soft palate has been introduced recently by another unit. We show that this procedure can be carried out using a CO2 laser, and present the initial results of the first 29 patients operated on at The Royal National Throat, Nose and Ear Hospital.