title: TranQuill sling snoreplasty for snoring: A single-arm pilot study for safety and effectiveness.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Determine safety and efficacy of the TranQuill Sling Snoreplasty (TSS) (Surgical Specialties Corp., Vancouver, BC, Canada) for the treatment of snoring in adults with benign snoring or mild obstructive sleep apnea.
  
  
  METHODS
  Prospective, unblinded, single-center pilot study.
  
  
  METHODS
  From February 2014 to July 2014, 20 adult patients with chronic, disruptive snoring assessed by bed partner were recruited to undergo TSS. Subjects with apnea hypopnea index < 15, minimum oxygen saturation > 85%, and body mass index (BMI) < 32 were included. Outcomes were assessed comparing the results of quality-of-life questionnaires, bed partner-assessed snoring, pain visual analog scales, WatchPAT (Itamar Medical Ltd, Caesarea Ind. Park, Israel) home sleep studies, and flexible endoscopy at baseline and 90-day follow-up.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Thirteen males and seven females were enrolled. Average age was 49.1 (range 31-67) and BMI of 25.8 ± 2.66. TranQuill Sling Snoreplasty significantly reduced snoring symptom scores from 8.70 ± 4.27 to 6.42 ± 4.14, P = 0.012. Snoring visual analog scores demonstrated reduction of 17.8 mm (59.4 mm ± 22.1 to 41.6 mm ± 29.2), P = 0.0184. Thirty-five percent (7/20) of subjects reported complications related to the trial, with no serious adverse events.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  TranQuill Sling Snoreplasty is a safe therapy that improves snoring symptoms in most adult subjects with benign snoring or mild sleep apnea. Further study is required to better identify patients likely to respond to the therapy.
authors.affiliation: Department of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston, South Carolina, U.S.A.
authors.forename: Alexander W
authors.initials: AW
authors.lastname: Murphey
authors.affiliation: Department of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston, South Carolina, U.S.A.
authors.forename: Shaun A
authors.initials: SA
authors.lastname: Nguyen
authors.affiliation: Department of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston, South Carolina, U.S.A.
authors.forename: Colin
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Fuller
authors.affiliation: Department of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston, South Carolina, U.S.A.
authors.forename: Aimee C
authors.initials: AC
authors.lastname: Weber
authors.affiliation: Department of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston, South Carolina, U.S.A.
authors.forename: Marc P
authors.initials: MP
authors.lastname: Camilon
authors.affiliation: Department of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston, South Carolina, U.S.A.
authors.forename: M Boyd
authors.initials: MB
authors.lastname: Gillespie
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D013517:Otorhinolaryngologic Surgical Procedures / Q000379:methods*; D010147:Pain Measurement; D010159:Palate / Q000601:surgery*; D010865:Pilot Projects; D011446:Prospective Studies; D016037:Single-Blind Method; D012913:Snoring / Q000601:surgery*; D013536:Suture Techniques; D016896:Treatment Outcome
keywords: Snoreplasty; sling snoreplasty; snoring