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Ups and downs of snoring remedy

Leslie Goldman

January 2, 2005

Injecting a hardening agent into that little stalactite of tissue that hangs in your throat may not sound like fun, but bedmates of chronic snorers may leap at the chance to pay $300 for this effective, up-and-coming procedure: injection snoreplasty.

Snoring occurs when the uvula and the edges of the soft palate create increased airway resistance while breathing during sleep. The result is like a flag flapping in the wind. With injection snoreplasty, explained Dr. Regina P. Walker, a Hinsdale otolaryngologist (ear, nose and throat doctor), a series of one to three injections stiffens the tissue, rendering that flag flutterless. Results take two to three weeks.

Michael Thompson of Henderson, Ky., got shot in 2002 after a sleep test ruled out apnea. Thompson said the 10-second injection challenged his gag reflex, left an alcohol taste in his mouth and, as he wrote on his Web log, made him sound "like a male version of Lily Tomlin's `Edith Ann' character." But the pain was worth it. "Before, my wife and kids would sleep as far away as possible. Now, instead of a roar, it's a purr."

The procedure comes with caveats, however.

Walker, who chairs the American Academy of Otolaryngology's Sleep Disorders Committee, said that although as many as 75 percent of patients do have reduced snoring volume, she does not perform injection snoreplasty.

"The soft palate's function is closing off the back of the throat so food and fluid do not go up into the nose," she said. Overstiffening can cause dysfunction. Walker suggests alternatives such as weight loss, side-sleeping or laser surgery.

Rush-Presbyterian-St. Luke's Medical Center otolaryngologist William Panje has performed injection snoreplasty for a year and a half, saying it involves a relatively small amount of pain, is inexpensive and can be performed in office. Panje did point out that the treatment is not permanent; repeated shots may be needed to retain stiffness, with a small amount of patients even developing a hole in their palate.

Like Walker, Panje said many methods exist to quell snoring, including one promising new technique involving tiny felt implants that immediately stiffen the tissue.

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