© 2002 American Thoracic Society
Bipolar Radiofrequency Thermal Ablation of the Soft Palate in Habitual Snorers without Significant Desaturations Assessed by Magnetic Resonance ImagingDepartment of Otorhinolaryngology—Head & Neck Surgery and Department of Radiology, Helsinki University Central Hospital; and Department of Clinical Neurosciences, Haaga Neurological Research Center, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland Correspondence and requests for reprints should be addressed to Leif J. J. Bäck, M.D., Department of Otorhinolaryngology—Head & Neck Surgery, University Central Hospital, Haartmaninkatu 4 E, P.O. Box 220, Helsinki 00290, Finland. E-mail: leifback{at}hotmail.com Sleep-disordered breathing, including habitual snoring, is a major health problem. Treatment of primary habitual snoring should be individualized using both conservative and active treatment methods. Active surgical interventions are, however, associated with significant morbidity. Therefore, procedures causing far less morbidity should be preferred. Our aim was to assess the efficacy and acceptability of bipolar radiofrequency thermal ablation of the soft palate in habitual snorers without significant desaturations associated with excessive daytime sleepiness. We treated 20 nonobese habitual snorers (median age, 43 years, range 35–63). All the patients had the major site of obstruction at the level of the soft palate, and they were treated on an outpatient basis in two treatment sessions separated by 1 week. The pretreatment and post-treatment symptoms and findings as well as the overall efficacy of the procedure were evaluated by questionnaires, visual analogue scales, and magnetic resonance imaging. All the questionnaires showed a statistically significant change, indicating decreased snoring and daytime sleepiness. The magnetic resonance studies showed that the procedure induced notable T1-signal alterations in the treated tissue, and when compared with the pretreatment images, certain dimensions of the soft palate were significantly changed. Bipolar radiofrequency thermal ablation of the soft palate seems to be well tolerated and effective regarding primary habitual snorers without significant desaturations associated with excessive daytime sleepiness.
Key Words: radiofrequency thermal ablation • habitual snoring • magnetic resonance imagine This article has been cited by other articles:
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