Transoral radiofrequency treatment of snoring.
OBJECTIVE
Radiofrequency ablation (RFA) may effectively treat snoring with acceptable patient tolerance.


METHODS
A cohort of patients with unacceptable snoring underwent RFA to the soft palate between October 1997 and May 2000. Before the therapy, a family member or significant other person was interviewed to rate snoring loudness.


METHODS
Snoring was rated on a visual analog scale of 0 to 10 (in which 0 was no snoring and 10 was horrific snoring) before and after therapy. All patients were treated with transoral RFA administered under local anesthesia at 6-week intervals.


RESULTS
Complete data were available for 60 of the 75 treated patients. The average number of treatment sessions per patient was 1.8. These patients received an average energy of 1845 J. Overall the average snoring score was 8.9 before therapy and 3.5 after therapy. Fifty-one patients (85%) were considered to have major improvement in snoring loudness. A total of 9 patients (15%) were nonresponders.


CONCLUSIONS
RFA to the soft palate is a viable option to treat socially unacceptable snoring. Inadequate response to therapy may reflect misdiagnosis or delivery of an insufficient amount of energy.
Johnson
Jonas T
JT
Department of Otolaryngology, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, Pennsylvania, USA. johnsonjt@msx.upmc.edu
Pollack
Gabrielle L
GL
Wagner
Robin L
RL
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D000556:Ambulatory Surgical Procedures / Q000379:methods; D000772:Anesthesia, Local; D017115:Catheter Ablation / Q000379:methods*; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010160:Palate, Soft / Q000601:surgery*; D012720:Severity of Illness Index; D012913:Snoring / Q000145:classification / Q000209:etiology / Q000601:surgery*; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D016896:Treatment Outcome