gms | German Medical Science

Objectives: Despite its minimally invasive character and its documented superiority over placebo, clinical efficacy of standard radiofrequency surgery of the soft palate in primary snoring is limited; a sufficient reduction in snoring intensity is only rarely achieved. In particular, excessive soft tissue at the palatal arches (webbing) and uvula hyperplasia are common occurrences that cannot be addressed with standard RF surgery.

Methods: 20 patients with primary snoring (RDI<15, BMI<35) received two sessions of combined radiofrequency (RF) procedures at the soft palate, consisting of standard bipolar RF-surgery (Celon) and RF-assisted resection of excessive soft tissue (Celon ProCut), leaving the palatal muscles intact. Snoring was assessed with visual analogues scales (VAS) by the bed-partner and postoperative pain was documented with a patient diary (VAS).

Results: Preoperative snoring scores could be reduced statistically significantly from 8.4±1.7 to 3.7±2.3 after the first and 1.2±1.1 after the second treatment session. Postoperative pain levels of 6.2±3.2 at day 1 decreased to 2.5±2.6 at day 7 after the first session and from 3.7±3.0 at day 1 to 0.4±0.7 at day 7 after the second session. Pain killers were administered for a mean of 1.9±2.3 days. Complications did not occur; no patient needed additional treatment for snoring.

Discussion: Radiofrequency assisted uvulopalatoplasty (RF-UPP) is highly effective in the treatment of snoring. The RF-assisted resection of excessive soft tissue significantly increases the efficacy and enlarges the therapeutic spectrum of RF-surgery of the soft palate.