Sleep Disorders and LAUP Laser Surgery
When you breath air goes through your throat on its way to being absorbed by your lungs. When someone is awake, the muscles in the back of the throat tend to tighten and hold these structures (soft palate, uvula, tonsils, and tongue) in place keeping them from collapsing and/or vibrating in the airway. Unfortunately when one is sleeping he has no control over these muscles and the uvula and soft palate will often vibrate causing the recognizable sounds of extremely loud snoring.
The LAUP procedure is a laser procedure designed to cut and shorten these structures, hence preventing or reducing snoring.
Complications and Risks
You have the right to be informed that the operation may involve risks of disappointing results, complications, or trauma from both known and unexpected causes. Because people vary in their tissue circulation and healing processes, as well as anesthetic response, ultimately there can be no guarantee made as to the results or likely ramifications. The following ramifications have been reported in medical literature. This list is not intended to be inclusive of every feasible complication. They are listed here for your information only, not to scare you, just to make you aware and more knowledgeable pertaining to this surgical procedure.
- Failure to fix the snoring - Most surgeons feel that about 80+% of patients who undergo a LAUP will have a considerable or complete resolution to their snoring; and an extra percentage of patients will observe decreased levels of snoring such that their spouses will report that its level is no longer offensive.
- Failure to cure sleep apnea or other pathological sleep disorders - Pathological sleep disorders, like sleep apnea, are medical problems which may have related critical ramifications. At this time, the LAUP operation has not been proven to heal these disorders.
- Bleeding - In very rare situations, a need for blood products or a blood transfusion. You have the right, should you choose, to have autologous or specified donor directed blood pre-arranged. You are encouraged to consult with your doctor if you are interested.
- Nasal regurgitation, alter in voice, or velopharyngeal deficiency - when liquids might flow into the nasal cavity during swallowing (rare).
- Failure to answer coexisting sinus, tonsil, or nasal troubles.
- Call For for alteration - further and more aggressive surgery.
- Long-term pain, impaired healing - the need for hospitalization


