Laser-assisted uvulopalatoplasty: short-term and long-term results

Snoring causes many problems for both snorers and family members. Significant improvement has been reported in subjective measures of snoring after laser-assisted uvulopalatoplasty (LAUP). However, there were few studies of the long-term results of LAUP from a large number of patients. The purpose of this study was to compare the short-term versus long-term results in patients undergoing this procedure.

LAUP has been performed on 340 snorers. The majority of the patients were male with simple snoring by history and confirmed by polysomnographic study. Data on patients were compared from preoperative to the short-term (6 months) and long-term (more than 3 years) postoperative assessment points. Statistic analysis was performed to assess the significance of differences between groups.

Significant improvement was observed in snoring scale at 6 months and long-term. The mean follow-up was 40.5 months with a range of 36 to 50 months. There were significant differences between short-term and long-term results (P < 0.05). The change in body mass index was significantly different in the patients with and without recurrence (1.9 vs 0.5 kg/m(2), P < 0.01). Two hundred fifty-five (75%) patients had long-term clinical success, and 34 (12%) patients with short-term success failed long-term.

LAUP in the treatment of simple snoring results in long-term success. However, patients are at risk of recurrence if they gain weight.