title: Efficacy of laser palatoplasty: four-year results.
abstract: There are few reports on the long-term results of laser-assisted uvulopalatoplasty (LAUP), with some casting doubt about its long-term efficacy. We report satisfactory results in patients with more than four years' follow-up. We conducted a retrospective study of patients who underwent LAUP at the Princess of Wales Hospital over a period of five years. Thirty-three patients underwent LAUP as a day case procedure. They had had a mean follow-up period of four years and five months. Twenty-eight of these were asked details of their pre- and postoperative levels of snoring regarding frequency, volume and disturbance to their partners. There was a 50% reduction in frequency of snoring, a 51.85% reduction in volume and a 53.7% reduction in disturbance to their partners. All these figures are statistically significant (p<0.001). Overall, 60.8% of the patients felt the surgery was successful and had reduced their snoring to acceptable levels. We conclude that LAUP is an effective treatment for snoring, even in the long term.
authors.affiliation: Department of Otorhinolaryngology and Head & Neck Surgery, Princess of Wales Hospital, Bridgend, Mid Glamorgan.
authors.forename: A A
authors.initials: AA
authors.lastname: Maheshwar
authors.forename: K G
authors.initials: KG
authors.lastname: Gomez
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Obilanade
authors.forename: R A
authors.initials: RA
authors.lastname: Evans
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D053685:Laser Therapy / Q000592:standards; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010160:Palate, Soft / Q000601:surgery*; D017060:Patient Satisfaction; D012008:Recurrence; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D012913:Snoring / Q000601:surgery*; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D016896:Treatment Outcome