Tuesday - April 10, 2012

the cure for snoring …. ouch?

There’s an old expression that goes bite your tongue before speaking in anger.
I don’t know of any expressions with regard to those who snore, but did see this today and immediately thought OUCH when I read their very large headline.
CUT OFF A BIT OF YOUR TONGUE?
Good grief. Just the thought of it sends shivers.
Be easier and cheaper to start using that spare room.
Besides, I’m not too sure with no offence intended to the good Herr Doktor, but were I ever to have that sort of treatment or anything close, I want to be fully able to pronounce the doc’s name.  Especially in this case when I first said it wrong and it came out, Gotcha.
I am terrible.  My attitude is guilt inducing.

It’s a rather long article but here are the highlights in a manner of speaking. There’s lots more at the link. Actually, it was interesting. I didn’t think at first it would be. I just kept seeing the headline. But I started reading and got caught up in it.

Want to stop snoring? Cut off a bit of your tongue
By ANNA HODGEKISS

THE SURGEON
Mr Bhik Kotecha is a consultant surgeon at The Royal National Throat, Nose and Ear Hospital, London.
Around 40 per cent of the adult population are snorers and 10 per cent of these have some degree of sleep apnoea.
There are two forms — obstructive sleep apnoea is the most common.

This is where an obstruction — perhaps the tonsils, the tongue flopping back in the throat or nasal polyps — blocks the airway.
Sometimes the obstruction is caused by the muscles and soft tissues in the throat relaxing and collapsing so much that they cause a total blockage.
Men are twice as likely to suffer as women. That’s because they are more likely to store excess weight around the neck, which puts extra pressure on the tissues so they are more likely to collapse.

there are serious medical implications. Because it deprives the body of oxygen, the condition increases the chance of heart disease, high blood pressure, stroke and type 2 diabetes. Memory and concentration can also be impaired.
The good news is that GPs are increasingly aware of the condition. 

The condition is diagnosed with a sleep study and the recommended treatment is continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP).
A mask connected to a machine blows air into the throat, keeping the airway open — but drop-out rates are high.
In terms of surgery, until now it has been difficult to access the base of the tongue.

But a new robotic technique pioneered in the U.S. means we have 360 degree access to the area and a 3D view. 
The laser shaves off the top layer of the back of the tongue. It works at 300 degrees Celsius and seals the blood vessels as it goes, so there should be no bleeding. The procedure takes around two hours.

The operation costs £12,000 to £15,000 and is available on the NHS, or privately at the Princess Grace Hospital in London.  ($19 to $23,000)

Read all of it HERE

Posted by peiper     on 04/10/2012 at 10:46 AM   
Filed Under: • Health-Medicine •  
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