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THE SCOTSMAN
Could laser surgery finally put the curse of snoring to bed? |
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ANYONE who has ever shared a bed with a
snorer knows the torture of sleepless nights and the arguments that can follow. Now
surgeons hope a revolutionary laser technique could solve the problem for many chronic
snorers.
It is thought that obesity problems make it a prime target for the treatment, with much
snoring caused by people being overweight. But experts warned that surgery should be a
last resort and that it was not always successful. The news came during National Stop
Snoring Week.
George Mochloulis, from The Private Clinic on Harley Street in London, has performed
thousands of surgical procedures to help chronic snorers. He believes snoring is a serious
issue which cannot be ignored. "We have seen big changes in the way that people live
their lives which means people are busier and cannot afford to lose sleep," he said.
"In the past they may have put up with it, but now I am seeing more and more people
who come and say: 'I have got a very busy life, I work long hours and I am not getting
enough sleep because of my snoring.' It also affects the partners of people who snore.
They are also losing sleep."
Mr Mochloulis said a major cause of snoring – thought to affect 15 million people in
the UK – was obesity: "People are becoming fatter and so they snore more. I have
seen a dramatic increase in patients being referred to me because of obesity. GPs are
becoming more aware of the treatment options available and refer patients to a specialist.
This increase has occurred over the last five years."
Mr Mochloulis said that, as well as overweight people, those at risk from snoring included
bodybuilders with thick necks and people with nasal blockages and other health problems.
"I have had some very serious cases," he said. "I had a patient come in
recently and when I asked how bad his snoring was, he said his next door neighbour had
complained about the noise.
"Other people say when they go on holiday they have to book two rooms because their
partner cannot sleep in the same room because of the snoring."
Snoring can be surgically treated using radio frequency to scar the tissue that causes the
snoring at the back of the throat. This tissue can also be removed by laser in a treatment
known as laser-assisted uvulopalatoplasty (LAUP).
Mr Mochloulis said patients were given other advice on how to help them stop snoring, such
as losing weight, but many opted for surgery to help end their problems: "We have
many patients who stop snoring completely after treatment. It is most effective in those
who lose weight. Someone who has lost weight has an 80 per cent chance of getting
improvement to their snoring. In someone who is obese it is 40 to 50 per cent. We get a
lot of good feedback from patients who have had major improvements in their snoring and
wish they had known about treatments before."
Other solutions to snoring can include the use of nasal strips to keep the airways open,
as well as drops and sprays. People are also advised not to eat just before going to bed,
or drink heavily..
Mr Mochloulis added "I have seen a massive increase in people coming to see us. I
think they were not aware of the possibility of treatment but are now becoming more aware
that something can be done."
Marianne Davey, from the British Snoring and Sleep Apnoea Association, said surgery for
snoring was "a treatment of last resort". She explained: "It should only be
considered when everything else has been tried and failed. There are lots of different
reasons why people snore and there are many different treatments. Surgery only targets one
possible cause of snoring by removing the excess tissue which may be causing the
problem."
Ms Davey said the laser treatment was available on the NHS, but consultants tended to be
reluctant to go down the route of surgery because there were so many other options open to
them.
"The long and short-term research results are not really that encouraging," she
said. "The problem is that you could have the surgery and then if you put on weight,
especially around the neck, the problem can come back.
"If people are considering having laser surgery they should be asking questions about
what sort of success rate they can expect because if it is only going to reduce snoring
noise by 50 per cent, that is not really going to make a big difference to a partner
sharing the same bed. There is a place for surgery and for some people there are good
results. But there are other less invasive solutions which might work as well."
How it works
LASER assisted uvulopalatoplasty (LAUP) was developed in 1984 by Dr Yves-Victor Kamami.
Dr Yves-Victor Kamami has published three books and has written several publications on
the LAUP procedure as well as lecturing and holding seminars throughout France on ENT
related operations.
The technique involves using a laser to remove the vibrating soft tissue on the sides of
the uvula, which hangs at the back of the throat and causes the snoring sound. The area is
then reshaped to try to prevent further snoring.
Dr Yves-Victor Kamam carries out the procedure at The Private Clinic in London.
The procedure is performed under local anaesthetic, with the patient sitting in a chair
like they would at the dentist.
Over 20,000 LAUP procedures have been carried out in the UK to cure snoring, according to
The Private Clinic in London.
The clinic says studies showed that using the procedure to free the airways and increase
oxygen supply could improve quality of life, "bringing more refreshing sleep, lifted
mood, more energy, better memory and even improved libido".
Around one in four people in the UK are thought to suffer from snoring.
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