What Is Sleep Apnea and Snoring Surgery? How Is It Done?

Post Date: 1/3/2022

Although operations such as rhinoplasty and septorhinoplasty come to mind when it comes to ear, nose, and throat surgeries, the problems that are of interest to this department are much more. Sleep apnea and snoring are also some of these problems. This problem, which is common in society, is not seen as a disease by most people. This delays or prevents patients from receiving treatment. So, what kinds of symptoms do sleep apnea and snoring, which affect at least 30% of our society, occur? How to properly treat this disease?

Snoring and sleep apnea is a condition that should be taken seriously. First of all, this problem reduces the sleep quality of the individual and causes the general quality of life to be negatively affected. Snoring and sleep apnea should not be considered only as the noise made during sleep. The known symptoms of this disease include feeling tired, stressed, and nervous during the day and sweating, especially in the neck region. Sleep apnea is more common in men and overweight patients. If the patient has a chronic disease accompanying the weight problem, it becomes difficult to be treated with surgical procedures.

Why Do We Snore? 

Snoring is observed continuously in 25-30% of adults, and intermittently in 45% of adults. Sleep apnea and snoring occur as a result of the relaxation of the muscles in the area where the tongue root, uvula, soft palate, and tonsils of the person join with the nasal passage during sleep. When these muscles relax, the passage of inhaled air narrows, and the air causes a vibration in the loose tissues. The expression of this vibration is a noisy breathing style that we call snoring.

So why do men snore more than women? The reason for this is simple: while fat is commonly seen in the hip area in women, neck and abdomen circumferences are more suitable for lubrication in men's bodies. The pressures exerted by the abdomen on the diaphragm during sleep increase intrathoracic pressure in overweight men. On top of that, if the tongue slides back and causes the muscles around the pharynx to relax, snoring occurs. However, we also encounter the problem of snoring in middle-aged women after the hormonal changes in women after the menopause period.

What Are the Treatment Options?

It has been observed that the complaint of snoring spontaneously regresses in the majority of patients who lose weight. Therefore, it is recommended to avoid eating and drinking alcohol for at least 3 hours before going to bed at night. Sleeping on your side instead of on your back also prevents snoring.

If these general measures do not work, special treatments or surgical methods are used. Drug therapy and CPAP (Continuous Positive Airway Pressure) device can be used instead of surgical treatment. However, drug therapy has not been preferred much recently, as it has long-term side effects. CPAP, which is a kind of respiratory mask, delivers compressed air to the patient through the nose. Therefore, patients with nasal congestion are not suitable for this method. The CPAP device, which should be used regularly every night, carries the risk of causing edema, dryness, crusting, and bleeding in the nose in some patients.

In patients for whom medical methods, CPAP devices, and oral appliances are not suitable, nasal surgeries, soft palate and uvula, and tongue and tongue root surgeries are performed depending on the type of airway obstruction causing the disease. Orthognathic surgery is also used for problems caused by the lower jaw being left behind.

If you consider having rhinoplasty surgery, contact us right away to get a free consultancy service from Prof. Dr. Selçuk İnanlı.