Injection Snoreplasty Procedure Described in Medical Journal

Injection Snoreplasty is an innovative, safe and effective way to treat palatal snoring at minimal cost and discomfort to the patient, according to researchers Scott Brietzke, MD and Eric Mair, MD, of Walter Reed Army Medical Center.

Their results with a group of 27 patients, previously discussed at the annual meeting of the American Academy of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery in September 2000, have now been published in the May 2001 issue of the peer-reviewed medical journal, Otolaryngology - Head and Neck Surgery.

In the study, 27 patients with a diagnosis of palatal flutter snoring, who had no evidence of sleep apnea, were treated using the injection snoreplasty procedure. A sclerotherapy agent, Sotradecol, was injected into the soft palate to reduce or eliminate palatal flutter snoring by stiffening a portion of the soft palate. An average of 1.8 treatments was needed to obtain the optimal amount of palatal stiffening. Treatments were done in office visits about 6-8 weeks apart.

The success of the procedure was judged by the patient's subjective reports of improvement in snoring and by objective evidence of palatal stiffening. Twenty-five of the 27 patients reported a significant decrease in snoring. Patients reported minimal discomfort and no significant complications from the injection snoreplasty procedure.

The study authors conclude that "Injection Snoreplasty is a simple, safe, and effective office treatment for primary snoring. Advantages over current snoring procedures include simplicity, low cost, decreased post-treatment pain levels, and minimal/no convalescence".

Dr. Brietzke has indicated that the journal article describes
the procedure in enough detail that any experienced ENT specialist should be able to begin treating patients after reading it.

The article may be found in Otolaryngology - Head and Neck Surgery, May 2001, Volume 124, pages 503-510.

To view an abstract and order a copy of the article, click here.

Patients interested in the procedure may wish to print this page and give it to their ENT physician to suggest that he/she read the journal article and discuss the possibility of using injection snoreplasty to treat their snoring. This procedure is currently being suggested ONLY for Primary Snoring.

Persons with chronic snoring should be evaluated for sleep apnea before choosing to have injection snoreplasty, to be sure that their medical problem is being properly corrected. TalkAboutSleep recommends that patients discuss their snoring and sleep issues with a sleep specialist to rule out any serious disorders such as sleep apnea before seeking treatment with Injection Snoreplasty.

TalkAboutSleep.com will continue to follow the Injection Snoreplasty story in the future.

Watch for a description of the procedure from Dr. Scott Brietzke.
If you work with an ENT and have the snoreplasty procedure, we'd like to hear about it -- send us an email at info@talkaboutsleep.com and tell us your results.
We're considering listing the names of ENT physicians who offer Injection Snoreplasty to their patients, to enable us to respond to the numerous requests we have received. If your ENT is interested in being listed, have him/her email info@talkaboutsleep.com with the following information: Physician Name, Name of Clinic/Practice, Address (include Street Address, City, State and ZIP), and a Phone Number for Patient Contact.

Injection Snoreplasty Procedure Described in Medical Journal

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