Some patients with moderate or severe sleep apnea may get the benefit with the surgery. The type of surgery and the result it produces are depending on the sleep apnea cause.
Goal of sleep apnea surgery
The main goal of sleep apnea surgery is to widen the airway to stop blocking it during sleep. Surgery for widening breath passages include shrinking, removing, or stiffening the excess tissue in the mouth and throat or resetting the lower jaw. It is performing in doctor’s office or in a hospital.
- Tissue shrinking is by small shots or other treatments to the tissue. Effective results need a series of such treatments for proper shrinking.
- Stiffening the tissue is by making small cut in the tissue and stiffens it by inserting a plastic.
- Surgery to remove excess tissue is in a hospital and after surgery; there may be throat pain that lasts for one to two weeks.
- Surgery to remove the tonsils, if it blocks the airway, may be mostly helpful for some children. Child's doctor may suggest wait for some time to see whether these tissues shrink on its own. This is common as small children grow.