Uvulopalatopharyngoplasty versus laser-assisted uvulopalatopharyngoplasty in the treatment of snoring.

OBJECTIVE: This study was performed to compare the efficacy, pain, and complication rates between laser-assisted uvulopalatopharyngoplasty and conventional tonsillectomy and uvulopalatopharyngoplasty. METHOD: Eighty patients who had undergone the laser procedure and 29 the conventional procedure were studied prospectively. Snoring was measured using a new numeric snoring scale. RESULTS: There were no statistically significant differences between groups for final snoring scores, pain, or complication rates. The criteria for selecting uvulopalatopharyngoplasty candidates, which is described, resulted in a 97% success rate in the treatment of snoring. CONCLUSION: Laser-assisted uvulopalatopharyngoplasty and conventional tonsillectomy and uvulopalatopharyngoplasty are equally effective in the management of snoring in correctly selected patients. They are similarly painful procedures. A new and simple numeric snoring scale is described.