Outpatient treatment of snoring with CO2 laser: laser-assisted UPPP

The usual treatment of snoring in the absence of sleep apnea has been uvulopalatopharyngoplasty (UPPP). Patients are often reluctant to undergo this painful procedure, which must be performed under general anaesthesia. A new procedure, introduced 5 years ago by the author, called LAUP (laser-assisted uvulopalatoplasty), can be used to treat the pharyngeal airway obstruction that produces snoring during sleep. LAUP is performed with CO2 laser under local anaesthesia. LAUP produces a progressive enlargement of the oropharyngeal airspace that reduces or eliminates airway collapse during sleep, and it allows surgery for the relief of snoring to be performed in the office under local anaesthesia. LAUP has many advantages over the traditional UPPP. It is simple, reliable, hemostatic, and less painful. It is also less expensive, as it can be performed on an outpatient basis. This makes the LAUP more accessible to patients. Our experience with LAUP in 741 patients treated from December 1988 to December 1993 (121 women and 620 men) is described. Good results were obtained in 95% of patients, and there were no complications. This new technique can be easily performed by other otolaryngologists after suitable training. LAUP provides a simple alternative for many patients who do not wish to undergo a traditional UPPP. The method and its results are discussed.