Soft palate ablation with plasma radiofrequency for obstructive sleep apnea hypopnea syndrome

Objective: To investigate the clinical efficacy of soft palate ablation with plasma radiofrequency on obstructive sleep apnea hypopnea syndrome(OSAHS). Method:Sixty-five patients polysomnographically proved mild OSAHS were given radiofrequency ablation to their soft palates. The polysomnography examinations were carried out before and 12 weeks after radiofrequency operation respectively. The length of soft palate and uvula, snoring scale and Epworth sleepiness score(ESS) were also compared. Results:Followed-up from 3 to 6 months, polysomnography parameters before and 12 weeks after radiofrequency operation showed that Ⅰ+Ⅱphase sleep time shortened significantly, Ⅲ+Ⅳphase sleep time prolonged, sleep efficiency and the lowest pulse oxygen saturation improved significantly. In addition, there were significant differences in the decrease of apnea hypopnea index after operation(P0.05). 12 weeks after treatment, the length of soft palate and uvula shortened, snoring scale and ESS decreased significantly(P0.01). The pain by speech and swallow was mild 1～3 days after operation, and obvious further improvement could be detected 7 days after operation. Conclusion: Plasma radiofrequency ablation at low temperature is effective to mild OSAHS at least in a short term. This treatment is convenient,simply safe and minimally invasive without obvious adverse reactions, and it is worthy to be popularized.