Palatoplasty
Patients with an elongated soft palate can have a characteristic palatal snore. This is a rhythmic sound while sleeping that can be disruptive to others. The soft palate is the region in the back of the throat that assists in swallowing by preventing food and liquids from entering the nasal passage. It directs food/liquid downward, preventing them from going up and out the nose.
In certain cases the structure may be elongated or noticeably redundant – vibrating aggressively while airflow moves past it during sleep – yielding a loud snore.
A palatoplasty is available to reduce the tendency for the soft palate to vibrate by making it less flexible. Radiofrequency energy is used to ablate the palate tissue at multiple points with a curved probe, creating small areas of scar tissue. This reduces the flexibility of the soft palate, reducing its tendency to vibrate during sleep and promoting proper retropalatal airflow.
The palatoplasty is a 15 minute procedure performed under local anesthesia.
If you would like to learn more about in office palatoplasty, feel free to contact us for further assessment and treatment.