Soft-palate implants for simple snoring
Summary
The National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) has issued full guidance to the NHS in England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland on soft-palate implants for simple snoring.
Description
Simple snoring is part of a spectrum of breathing disturbance during sleep. This overview relates only to patients who snore but do not experience apnoea or hypopnoea episodes. NICE is also preparing separate interventional procedures guidance on the use of soft-palate implants for obstructive sleep apnoea (IP404).
The muscles around the upper airway relax during sleep. A narrowed airway can lead to air turbulence, which causes vibration in soft tissues of the oropharynx, generating the snoring sound during inspiration. The specific origin of the noise varies between individuals, and may include the soft palate. Snoring may disturb the sleep of the patient and their bed partner, and affect relationships. This procedure may be used for patients with problematic snoring where the soft palate is implicated, and when snoring has not been improved by conservative treatment.
The procedure is usually performed under local anaesthesia. A hollow introducer needle containing the implant is used to pierce the soft palate, close to the junction with the hard palate, reaching into the muscle layer. The needle is then withdrawn, leaving the implant in position. Typically two or three implants are inserted in a single procedure, at the midline of the soft palate or parallel to it. The aim of the procedure is to stiffen the soft palate over subsequent weeks as a result of fibrosis.
OPCS code:
Details
Mouth and dental
British Society of Otorhinolaryngologists, Head and Neck Surgeons (ENT-UK)
British Association of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeons
British Thoracic Society
Association of Anaesthetists of Great Britain and Ireland
Royal College of Anaesthetists
British Sleep Society
Contact details:
(for general enquiries or comments)
(for procedure specific enquiries or comments)
ip@nice.org.uk
Interventional Procedures Programme
National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence
MidCity Place
71 High Holborn
London
WC1V 6NA
