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CC BY-NC-ND 4.0 · Int Arch Otorhinolaryngol 2023; 27(01): e104-e110
DOI: 10.1055/s-0042-1744171
Original Research

A Long-Term Follow-up Study for the Treatment of Snoring after Using Patterned Non-Ablative Erbium: YAG 2,940 nm Laser

Ahmed N. Kassab 
1   Department of Otorhinolaryngology, National Institute of Laser Enhanced Sciences, Cairo University, Cairo, Egypt
,
Ahmed El Kharbotly
1   Department of Otorhinolaryngology, National Institute of Laser Enhanced Sciences, Cairo University, Cairo, Egypt
,
Ahmed Abd Elsamie
2   Department of Radiology, Theodor Bilharz Research Institute – Tbri, Giza, Egypt
,
Mohamed Rifaat Ahmed
3   Department of Otorhinolaryngology, Faculty of Medicine Suez Canal University, Ismailia, Egypt
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Abstract

Introduction Laser uvulopalatoplasty is an established operation for the treatment of snoring with good results on a short-term basis, while long-term follow-up studies, in addition to their scarcity, had conflicting results regarding recurrence, the change of snoring quality, and complications.

Objective To assess the long-term follow-up results of using nonablative 2,940 nm Erbium: YAG for the treatment of snoring regarding outcomes and recurrence.

Methods This 2-year follow-up study was conducted on 76 patients operated upon by non-ablative 2940 nm Erbium: yttrium-aluminum-garnet (YAG) using a PS01 patterned headpiece. Subjective evaluation of the treatment was performed relying on a smartphone application to record snoring in addition to a questionnaire specially designed to report recurrence and change in the quality of snoring reported by a patient's spouse. The objective evaluation was done by computed tomography (CT) imaging of the soft palate. The patients were evaluated preoperatively, 6 weeks postoperatively and after a 2-year follow-up period.

Results Six week after the procedure, there was a significant improvement in 52 patients (68.4%). Out of the 52 patients, only 43 completed the 2-year follow-up; however, 15 of them complained of recurrence. Nevertheless, the patients who suffered from recurrence showed subjective improvement in snoring quality.

Conclusions The nonablative mode of Erbium: YAG 2,940 nm laser proved to be efficient in soft palate tightening for the management of snoring. However, there was recurrence in 34.8% of the patients who presented objective and subjective improvement of the complaints, 6 weeks postoperatively and after a 2-year follow-up period.

Keywords

laser - snoring - long term follow-up period

Ethical Considerations

The local ethics committee approved the study.


Written consent was obtained from all study participants.


All participants included in the study have been informed about the procedures to be done and the expected results.


All participants agreed to participate in the study by providing a written informed consent.




Publication History

Received: 01 September 2020

Accepted: 23 January 2022

Article published online:
27 September 2022

© 2023. Fundação Otorrinolaringologia. This is an open access article published by Thieme under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonDerivative-NonCommercial License, permitting copying and reproduction so long as the original work is given appropriate credit. Contents may not be used for commecial purposes, or adapted, remixed, transformed or built upon. (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/)

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