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CO2 Laser palatoplasty: early results

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  29 June 2007

D. R. Ingrams*
Affiliation:
Royal National Throat Nose and Ear Hospital, 330-336 Gray's Inn Road, London, UK
P. D. R. Spraggs
Affiliation:
Royal National Throat Nose and Ear Hospital, 330-336 Gray's Inn Road, London, UK
M. B. Pringle
Affiliation:
Royal National Throat Nose and Ear Hospital, 330-336 Gray's Inn Road, London, UK
C. B. Croft
Affiliation:
Royal National Throat Nose and Ear Hospital, 330-336 Gray's Inn Road, London, UK
*
Address for correspondence: Mr D. R. Ingrams, 39 Fernside Road, Balham, London SW12 8LN.

Abstract

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 aluminium 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.

Type
Main Articles
Copyright
Copyright © JLO (1984) Limited 1996

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