Marc Bernard Blumen MD(presenter); Serge Dahan MD; Pierre Drewski MD; Frederic Chabolle MD; Surnes France

Objectives: Laser-assisted uvulopalatopharyngoplasty (LAUP) is efficacious in treating snoring but it is painful. Radiofrequency (RF) reduces tissue volume and stiffens it. Its application on the soft palate may be as efficacious as LAUP but better tolerated because it spares the mucosa. We prospectively compared RF to LAUP for short-term subjective efficacy on snoring and for tolerance as regards to pain, medication consumption, and diets. Methods: Fourteen consecutive patients were treated with RF, and then 7 consecutive patients were treated with LAUP. All patients underwent preoperative physical examinations and level I or level III polysomnography. The soft palate was the only site of obstruction. Patients were all simple snorers or had mild sleep apnea with an apnea-hypopnea index below 20/hour. Snoring was evaluated on a visual analog scale (VAS) by the bed partner before and 6 weeks after the last procedure. Pain and discomfort were evaluated daily on a VAS, as were medication (analgesics, steroids, antibiotics) and diet (normal, liquid). Patients could not have more than 3 sessions of either treatment. A Mann-Whitney test was used to evaluate efficacy within each group, and a t test was used to compare both groups. A P value of 0.05 was considered significant. Results: The 2 Populations did not differ in age, sex ratio, snorers/sleep apneics ratio, or severity of sleep apnea when present. RF significantly improved snoring, with a mean score of 1.6 after a mean of 2.6 treatments compared with a score of 8.1 before surgery. Efficacy of LAUP was not significantly different. Mean discomfort and mean pain for the first 7 days were, respectively, 3 and 4 times worse for LAUP than for RF. Doses of anti-inflammatory drugs used were the same. Abnormal diet duration was significantly higher for LAUP than for RF. Conclusions: RF, in our stuffy, was as efficacious for a short-term period as LAUP but was better tolerated. These results must be confirmed in a larger population.