Many people who have been diagnosed with sleep apnea consider sleep apnea surgery.
If you too are considering this option you will want to talk with your physician or sleep specialist to determine which sleep apnea treatments method is appropriate for your disorder.
Sleep apnea surgery is intended to eliminate or significantly reduce the source of the blockage of your throat airway. This is done by reducing the excess tissue of the palate. This sleep apnea surgery typically will also involve the removal of the uvula and tonsils or adenoids.
Sleep Apnea Surgery Risks
Though any surgery involves risk, untreated sleep apnea can prove to be harmful to your health and even has caused death. It is important to remember that the elimination of snoring may not mean you have eliminated your sleep apnea.
Snoring is caused by the vibration of the tissue in the palate. Surgery such as Sonomoplasty will tighten this tissue which will cause the snoring to be audibly reduced or eliminated. The obstruction of your throat’s airway however may still exist.
Talk with your doctor to see if they believe that this type of sleep apnea surgery will eliminate your apnea. Don’t be surprised if this surgery does not cure your sleep apnea all together, but it should reduce the number of apnea events you experience each night.
Insurance Issues
Most insurance plans will cover surgery for sleep apnea while denying surgery claims for snoring. It is important to check with your insurance provider and discuss the billing code that will be used with your doctor’s billing person. The doctor many not know the exact code that will be used so it is best to check with the billing personnel of the doctor office.
Surgery Side Effects
The vast majority of people will experience very light throat pain for a day or two from laser assisted surgery techniques after sleep apnea surgery. More traditional surgery methods to remove excess tissue and the uvula will result in more significant pain for a longer period of time, often lasting a couple of weeks.
Uvulopalatopharyngoplasy
UPPP or Uvulopalatopharyngoplasy is the most common sleep apnea surgery recommended by doctors. This surgery involves the removal of uvula along with the tonsils and adenoids. The uvula is the tissue that you see hanging from the middle of the back of your mouth. The soft palate on the roof of your mouth may also have excess tissue removed. This can be accomplished with the assistance of a laser.
UPPP procedures require general anesthetics and will require a short stay in the hospital. The use of general anesthetics does complicate the surgery as the anesthesia enhances the apnea condition, including the recovery period. These are factors that you should weigh seriously in your discussion with your doctor or the surgeon.
Non-Surgical Sleep Apnea Treatments
You do have other sleep apnea treatments options that do not require surgery. These include sleep apnea devices that move your jaw forward to help open the airway.
The most popular sleep apnea treatments today is the use of sleep apnea machines which use air pressure to keep your throat and airways unobstructed while you sleep.
Which sleep apnea treatments are right for you will depend on the severity of your apnea and personal preferences.
Final Thoughts
Before you consider surgery make sure you have exhausted the other sleep apnea treatments available and have seen an ears, nose and throat specialist. Many people will also seek a second opinion from an Otolaryngologist or maxillofacial surgeon before proceeding with sleep apnea surgery. Often your insurance provider may require that you get a referral or see a specific specialist before they will authorize a particular type of sleep apnea surgery.
