Macdougald I
Nurs Times. 1994;90(19):32-4.
The standard treatments for obstructive sleep apnoea syndrome (OSAS) to date have been postural treatment, which involves the patient sleeping on the stomach; continuous positive airway pressure, using a nasal mask during the night to maintain a positive pressure to prevent collapse of the airway; and surgical uvolopalatopharyngoplasty (UPPP). This is a radical surgical procedure where the soft palate and uvula are excised. There are drawbacks to all of these procedures, either because patients may regard as unacceptable the position they must maintain in bed or the equipment required to be worn or because of surgical complications. This paper describes an alternative method of treatment that has shown good results and is less disturbing to the patient: laser resection of the palatopharynx. This procedure is relatively new to the UK and not as yet widely accepted by many doctors, although it has been performed on the continent for a number of years with documented results.
迄今为止，阻塞性睡眠呼吸暂停综合征（OSAS）的标准治疗方法包括体位治疗，即患者趴着睡；持续气道正压通气，夜间使用鼻罩维持正压以防止气道塌陷；以及外科悬雍垂腭咽成形术（UPPP）。这是一种根治性手术，需切除软腭和悬雍垂。所有这些治疗方法都有缺点，要么是因为患者可能认为必须在床上保持的体位或需佩戴的设备不可接受，要么是因为手术并发症。本文介绍了一种替代治疗方法，已显示出良好效果且对患者干扰较小：腭咽激光切除术。该手术在英国相对较新，许多医生尚未广泛接受，尽管在欧洲大陆已开展多年且有文献记载其效果。
