The Problem
Some 45 percent of normal adults snore at least occasionally, and 25 percent are habitual snorers. Problem snoring is more frequent in males and overweight persons and it usually grows worse with age. Snoring sounds are caused by an obstruction to the free flow of air through the passages at the back of the mouth and nose.
Only recently have the adverse medical effects of snoring and its association with Obstructive Sleep Apnea (OSA) and Upper Airway Resistance Syndrome (UARS) been recognized. Various methods are used to alleviate snoring and/or OSA. They include behavior modification, sleep positioning, Continuous Positive Airway Pressure (CPAP), jaw adjustment techniques, Uvulopalatopharyngoplasty (UPPP), and Laser Assisted Uvula Palatoplasty (LAUP).
What Is Laser Assisted Uvula Palatoplasty (LAUP)?
LAUP allows treatment of snoring and mild OSA by removing the obstruction in your airway in an outpatient setting under local anesthesia. A laser is used to vaporize the uvula and a specified portion of the palate in a series of small procedures. LAUP is performed while you are positioned in an upright sitting position in an examination chair.
Before administration of anesthesia, you are informed that the back of your throat will become numb and that you will lose the sensation of swallowing and breathing. A local anesthesia is sprayed over the back oral cavity, soft palate, tonsils, and uvula followed by an injection of additional anesthesia in the muscle layer of the uvula. After several minutes, a CO2 laser is used to make both, vertical incisions in the palate on both sides of the uvula. The uvula is shortened, eliminating the obstruction that has contributed to the snoring.
LAUP requires up to five treatments spaced four to eight weeks apart (although one to three are usual).
How Long Will It Take To Recover From LAUP?
If you undergo the LAUP procedure you can expect to return to a normal routine almost immediately. For the majority of those undergoing this procedure there will be swallowing pain similar to a severe sore throat. This discomfort lasts for approximately ten days and can be relieved by oral analgesic and antiinflammatory medicines.
Improvement is noted by the reduction in or disappearance of your snoring.
Should You Consider LAUP?
If your snoring is habitual and disruptive to others, you may be a prime candidate for LAUP. Your otolaryngologist will evaluate you and ask the following questions:
- Do you snore loudly and disturb your family and friends?
- Do you have daytime sleepiness?
- Do you wake up frequently in the middle of the night?
- Do you have frequent episodes of obstructed breathing during sleep?
- Do you have morning headaches or tiredness?
Suitability for LAUP is determined after a review your health history, lifestyle factors (alcohol and tobacco intake as well as exercise), cardiovascular condition, and current medications in use. You will also receive a physical and otolaryngological (ear, nose, and throat) examination to evaluate the cause of the snoring.
Before the laser procedure is conducted, you will participate in a “sleep study,” which will grade the level of actual snoring and sleep apnea. This will complete the evaluation necessary for prescribing the appropriate treatment for your needs.
Ear
Autoimmune Inner Ear Disease
Buying a Hearing Aid
Child's Hearing Loss
Cholesteatoma
Cochlear Implants
Dizziness and Motion Sickness
Doctor, Please Explain Ear Tubes
Doctor? ¿Por Qué a Mi Hijo Le Duele El Oído?
Doctor? ¿Qué Causa El Ruido En El Oído?
Ear Infections and Earache
Ear Plastic Surgery
Ears and Altitude
Earwax
Fact Sheet: Better Ear Health
Fact Sheet: Hyperacusis -- An increased sensitivity to everyday sounds
Fact Sheet: Know the Power of Sound
Fact Sheet: What you should know about otosclerosis
Fact Sheet: Your Genes and Hearing Loss
How the Ear Works
Infant Hearing Loss
Loudness-Scale
Meniere's Disease
Noise & Hearing Protection
Perforated Eardrum
Swimmer's Ear
Tinnitus
Why Do We Fall?
Throat/Mouth
Coblation Tonsillectomy Download MP3 [26 MB]
Bell's Palsy
Doctor? ¿Para Qué Sirven Las Amígdalas Y Los Adenoides?
Fact Sheet: About Your Voice
Fact Sheet: Effects of Medications on Voice
Fact Sheet: Laryngeal (Voice Box) Cancer
Fact Sheet: Nodules, Polyps, and Cysts
Fact Sheet: Tips for Healthy Voices
Fact Sheet: Tonsillectomy Procedures
Fact Sheet: Vocal Cord Paralysis
Fact Sheet: Voice Disorders
Fever Blisters and Canker Sores
Gastroesphageal Reflux (GERD) & Laryngopharyngeal Reflux (LPR)
Hoarseness
Salivary Glands
Smell & Taste Disorders
Sore Throats
Swallowing Trouble
Temporo-Mandibular Joint
Tonsils and Adenoids
Head and Neck Surgery
Children and Secondhand Smoke
Ear Plastic Surgery
Facial Sports Injuries
Fine Needle Aspiration
Head and Neck Cancer
Nose Surgery FAQs
Spit Tobacco
Thyroid Gland
Cancer
Fact Sheet: Laryngeal (Voice Box) Cancer
Head and Neck Cancer
Spit Tobacco
Pediatric
Child's Hearing Loss
Children and Secondhand Smoke
Fact Sheet: Child Screening for Hearing Loss
Fact Sheet: Tonsillectomy Procedures
Infant Hearing Loss
Pediatric Sinusitis
Tonsils and Adenoids
About Otolaryngology
What Is An Otolaryngologist?
Nose
Airflow Pathway 1
Airflow Pathway 2
Allergies and Hay Fever
Antihistamines, Decongestants, and "Cold Remedies"
Cillary Flow of Mucous Membrane
Continuous Positive Airway Pressure (CPAP)
Diet and Exercise Tips to Avoid Sleep Apnea and Snoring
Drainage Path Close-Up
Drainage Paths of the Sinuses
Endoscopic Sinus Surgery 1
Endoscopic Sinus Surgery 2
Fact Sheet: 20 Questions about Your Sinuses
Fact Sheet: Allergic Rhinitis, Sinusitis, and Rhinosinusitis
Fact Sheet: Antibiotics and Sinusitis
Fact Sheet: Build Your Own Sinus Mask
Fact Sheet: Deviated Septum
Fact Sheet: Injection Snoreplasty
Fact Sheet: Sinus Surgery
Fact Sheet: Sinusitis: Special Considerations for Aging Patients
Front View of the Sinuses
Frontal Sinus Drainage Path 1
Frontal Sinus Drainage Path 2
Fungal Sinusitis
Inferior Turbinate Reduction
Laser Assisted Uvula Palatoplasty (LAUP)
Maxillary Sinus View 1
Maxillary Sinus View 2
Maxillary Sinus View 3
Middle Turbinate 1
Middle Turbinate 2 - Concha Bullosa
Middle Turbinate 3
Middle Turbinate 4
Nasal Polyps
Nasal Polyps 2
Nasal Septal Deviation 1
Nasal Septal Deviation 2
Naso-Antral Windows 1
Naso-Antral Windows 2
Normal Sinuses
Nose Surgery FAQs
Nosebleeds
Oblique View of the Sinuses
Pediatric Sinusitis
Post-Nasal Drip
Side View of the Sinuses
Sinus Headaches
Sinus Pain - Can Over-the-Counter Medications Help?
Sphenoid Sinus
Sphenoid Sinus, Carotid, Optic Nerve
Stuffy Nose
The "Ostio-Meatal" Complex 1
The "Ostio-Meatal" Complex 2
The Inferior Turbinate
The Inferior Turbinate, Close-Up
The Nasal Septum
Uncinate Process 1
Uncinate Process 2
What Causes Nosebleeds
What is Sinusitis?
Your Nose: The Guardian Of Your Lungs
