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Purpose: to study the effectiveness of surgical treatment of patients with snoring and obstructive sleep apnea syndrome using TruBlue laser light.Material and methods. Forty patients suffering of snoring and obstructive sleep apnea syndrome were taken into the study. Outcomes of their treatment are described in the present article. All patients had surgical interventions in the volume of uvulopalatoplasty performed with blue TruBlue laser light, wavelength 445 ± 5 nm (main group – 18 patients) and with Surgitron radio wave apparatus (control group – 22 patients). An objective assessment of respiratory disorders during sleep was done with Apnea Link Air respiratory monitoring system; the obtained fi ndings showed that most of the patients in both groups had snoring without apnea (44.4 and 45.4 %); the obstructive sleep apnea syndrome in them was of mild (38.9 and 36.4 %, correspondingly) and of moderate form (16.7 and 18.2 %, correspondingly).Results. Intraoperative blood loss was less in the main group 1 (2.3 ± 1.1 ml) than in the controls (7.1 ± 1.4 ml). In the postoperative period, patients of the main group had less points (7.1 ± 1.4 by the visual-analog scale) and less prolonged pain syndrome (up to 12 days) than in the control group (7.9 ± 1.2 points, up to 14 days). The subjective positive assessment of symptoms (decreased snoring, daytime sleepiness) was registered in both groups. Respiratory monitoring revealed no deterioration in sleep breathing parameters; decreased apnea/hypopnea index was noted in all observations; however, mild obstructive sleep apnea syndrome was detected in patients in both groups (27.8 and 22.7 %) one month after the surgical treatment.Conclusion. TruBlue laser light applied in the snoring and obstructive sleep apnea syndrome has been shown to be effective, causing less pronounced blood loss and pain syndrome, if to compare to the radio wave technique.

The study involved 73 patients with snoring and sleep apnea, aged 25 to 74 years, who underwent reconstructive interventions on the soft palate as a surgical treatment. As part of the preoperative examination, all patients underwent night respiratory monitoring in order to identify and assess the severity of respiratory disorders during sleep. A histological analysis of all tissues removed during the operation and a comparison of the identified changes with the visual picture during a pharyngoscopic examination were carried out. Depending on the pharyngoscopy, 5 main types of soft palate were identified, on the basis of which the patients were divided into 5 groups. The mildest clinical manifestations of obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) were noted in patients from groups 1 and 2, and the most severe, in patients from group 4. Morphological changes were represented by reactive phenomena of the mucous membrane, stromal edema, transformation of the mucous glands, an increase in the vascular component, and the development of chronic inflammation. Analyzing the results obtained, a relationship was noted between the severity of OSA and the morphological features of the removed palatine uvula. It can be assumed that 5 types of soft palate are the stages of one pathophysiological process successively replacing one another.

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