The benefits and risks of surgery for sleep apnea

By Michael Larkin


The most common surgery for sleep apnea is call Uvulopalatpharngoplasty or UPPP. This surgery for sleep apnea can get rid of sleep apnea for many cases, but it's not a guarantee and can be risky.

Simply put, UPPP is the removal of tissue from the throat and mouth to help open up the airway passage. The removal of excess tissues helps with the blockage of the airway which causes OSA and snoring.

There are a couple reasons why you may be a good candidate for this surgery. If you are tired of having to rely on a CPAP or a CPAP machine simply doesn't work for you. There are many other options to treat sleep apnea than a CPAP or surgery though.

What are some of the tissues removed during UPPP surgery? The uvula, a section of the soft palate, the tonsils, adenoids and other tissues of the throat may all be removed.

If an enlarged tongue is causing major blockage of the airway there is a different surgery that needs to be done. This surgery is called uvulopalatopharyngoglossoplasty and it removes a small part of the tongue.

UPPP has some side effects that can come with it. Some of the side effects are speech problems; nasally sound in the voice; swelling; bleeding; infection; prolonged pain; tastes for food change; may not even treat OSA; extended use of paid medications; a CPAP may still need to be used after and surgery complications.

UPPP surgery can have mixed results depending on the person. In some cases it works completely and others it doesn't. Some of the complications that can come with this surgery may actually make sleep apnea worse.

UPPP may work really well at treating snoring, but not OSA. This can be a risk in itself because snoring is one of the major warnings of sleep apnea. If you cannot hear snoring anymore, it can make you think you do not have OSA anymore. This can actually cause major health issues that are associated with sleep apnea because the problem still is not taken care of. Make sure if this procedure is done to have someone monitor sleep afterwards to make sure.

UPPP sleep apnea surgery can be very successful, but it does have it's possible side effects. Like all surgeries, there are risks that come with it and it may not always be guaranteed. If you are considering this surgery talk with your doctor first to see if this is the right path. It works for some cases and can be good, but it may not work for every one.




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