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Laser Surgery and Sleep Apnea

By Henry J. Fishman, M.D.
ConsumerAffairs.com

July 30, 2005

Sleep • Sleep Apnea Can Be Dangerous • Afternoon Nap May Help Long-Term Memory • Lack of Deep Sleep May Increase Diabetes Risk • Sleepless in America • Sleep Disorders Can Hurt Kids' Grades • A Good Night's Sleep Essential to Heart Health • FDA Wants Stronger Warnings on Sleep Disorder Drugs • Sleep Apnea Common but Undiagnosed Among Pacemaker Patients • Americans May Be Relying Too Heavily on Sleeping Pills • Body Clock Findings May Help With Jet Lag, Insomnia • Sleep Apnea Heightens Risk of Stroke and Death • Nighttime Dying Linked to Sleep Apnea From Brain Cell Loss • Study Identifies Sleep Disorder Warning Signs In Kids • Laser Surgery and Sleep Apnea • Snore Formula Settles Federal Charges • Infomercial Doctor Agrees to Stifle SNORenz Claims

Laser surgery may not work as well as you think to cure sleep apnea.

Folks with sleep apnea have trouble sleeping at night. They have a blockage of the airway at night that can lead to restlessness or no sleep and high blood pressure during the day.

To help, they often turn to L-A-U-P, a laser-assisted surgery. In this surgery, a laser removes tissue from the back of the throat to clear the airway.

But the surgery can also cause pain and scarring.

Researchers who kept track of 29 patients who had the surgery found mixed results a year later. A third of the patients got better, a third stayed the same and a third got worse. They developed scarring in the back of their throat and had worse sleep apnea and snoring.

If you suspect sleep apnea, if you don't sleep well at night or are tired during the day or have headaches, talk to your doctor about going to a sleep lab. If you have the problem ask about other procedures than laser surgery.

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