Moliner Chris Brasel’s sleep disorder developed over time, but his wife is the one who decided he needed medical treatment — his snoring was disturbing her sleep. After he went in for a sleep evaluation, he was diagnosed as having obstructive sleep apnea.
Apnea sufferers often stop breathing for ten seconds or more while they’re sleeping. The disorder’s severity depends on how frequently breathing stops. In severe cases, a person may stop breathing more than 40 times an hour and lungs may not get enough air.
As with most sleep disorders, untreated sleep apnea can cause a host of serious health problems. Fortunately for Brasel, he did not have the high blood pressure apnea so often causes. “Humans need to sleep,” says Dr. Douglas Dvorak, ENT Professional Services, Davenport. “If people don’t get enough sleep, their risk for hypertension, depression, heart attack, stroke — many diseases — increases significantly.”
Sleep apnea and surgical treatments to sleep on
The sleep apnea Brasel suffered from (the most common type) is called “obstructive” because sleep-relaxed tongue, throat, or soft palate tissue moves to a position where it obstructs the airway.
Treatments for apnea range from a breathing device called a CPAP (for Constant Positive Air Pressure) that blows the airway open. Although the machine works well for many patients, there are others who don’t use it regularly or at all. “I hated it,” says Brasel. “For me it was the feel of it against my skin, the sound, the smell — and you couldn’t lay on your side with it.”
“When a CPAP isn’t a solution for patients, there are still a number of treatment options,” says Dr. Dvorak. “In Chris’s case, we went with a surgery to restructure much of the soft tissue that most commonly blocks the airway.”
This diagram illustrates the physiological causes for snoring.
That surgery, referred to as UP3 or UPPP. The procedure removes and re-shapes the tissue that most commonly blocks the airway. The uvula — that little punching bag that hangs at the back of the throat — is removed, as are tonsils. Often a deviated septum is straightened, and the pharynx and soft palate are also surgically modified, all to broaden the airway and make obstruction less likely.
The UP3 surgery reduces or eliminates obstructive sleep apnea for most patients. “Unfortunately for Chris, the UP3 didn’t fix the problem entirely. The follow-up surgery involved moving the place where his tongue attaches to his jaw forward and away from the airway,” explains Dr. Dvorak. The surgery also moved the hyoid bone forward; that bone supports the tongue’s root. This surgery appears to have cleared the obstructions to allow Brasel to breathe freely while sleeping.
“In the most difficult cases, there are further surgical options available to treat obstructive sleep apnea,” explains Dr. Dvorak. “They include restructuring the patient’s mandible to further open the airway.” If you are considering surgery to manage sleep apnea, make sure to research your physician’s capabilities. Not all physicians have been trained in the more advanced surgical treatments. The Quad Cities is fortunate that ENT Professional Services P.C. has stayed on the cutting edge to provide the area with proven techniques to address the tongue and lower part of the throat.
“I feel like this has done it,” says a well-rested Brasel. “My wife is pleased with the results of the second surgery. I think she gets far better sleep and would tell you so. In that way it’s also a success for me.”
Other stories you may want to read:
- Five ways to improve sleep – simple changes can make the difference between night and day when it comes to improving your sleep.
- Get a better long-winter’s nap – a good night’s sleep is hard to come by these days and that can spell trouble for people as they age.
