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If you are considering undergoing the sleep
apnea pillar
procedure, then it is important that you familiarize yourself with the
procedure, including how it is performed and what the
typical results
are in order to decide whether or not the pillar procedure is right for
you.
The pillar procedure is generally considered one of the least invasive
sleep apnea treatment procedures available and is a simple procedure
which typically takes under
an hour to perform and can be done in a
sleep clinic or an outpatient center.
The
actual procedure involves
placing between three
and five small polyester rods (less than one inch
long and 1/16 of an inch in diameter) or “pillars” in the soft palate
tissue at the back of the mouth. As the tissue around the polyester
rods heals, scar tissue begins to form which causes the soft palate to
become harder and stiffer.
This
has the effect of reducing
the
vibrations in the soft palate that are responsible for the
noise
associated with snoring, while also keeping the soft palate from
collapsing and blocking the air passage in the throat while sleeping,
which is one of the main causes of sleep apnea and other general
snoring problems.
 You
will be awake throughout
the entire procedure, but you will not
feel anything as your mouth will be numbed using a local anesthetic.
After the procedure is over and the anesthetic wears off, some patients
report feeling slight discomfort but this usually goes away within a
few days.
Most
patients are able to resume their normal activities the
very same day, although it is recommended to eat only soft food and
avoid hot drinks for a few days, and it may be necessary
to take an
over the counter pain medication for a few days. Nonetheless, you may
have sore throat, slight swelling of the mouth, and difficulty
swallowing for a few days or even a few weeks after the procedure.
Who
Should Undergo the Sleep Apnea Pillar Procedure?
This
type of sleep apnea treatment is typically performed on
individuals who have been diagnosed with mild to moderate sleep apnea,
although in some cases it can effective at treating more severe forms
of the sleeping disorder.
However,
it is not only used as a sleep apnea
treatment, and many of the people who undergo this surgery merely
suffer from excessive or
extremely loud snoring which keeps their
partner awake at night. Still, only an ear, nose, and throat doctor
will be able to determine if the pillar procedure is right for you, so
it is important to discuss all of the different treatment options
available to you with an ENT or sleep specialist.
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Results of the Sleep Apnea Pillar Procedure |
After
undergoing the pillar procedure, your sleep apnea or snoring will
not subside immediately, as it takes
some time for the scar tissue to
form and stiffen the soft palate. Still, most patients
report a
noticeable reduction in their snoring and other sleep apnea symptoms
within a few
days, although it may take between two and three months to
see the full benefits of the procedure.
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The reason that this type
of sleep apnea treatment has become so popular is because of the incredibly high success rate.
In fact, this procedure is successful in reducing or completely
eliminating sleep apnea and snoring in between 90 and 95 percent of
the patients who have undergone the procedure, making it one of the most effective
permanent sleep apnea treatment options currently available.
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Risks
Associated with the Pillar Procedure
 Generally
speaking, this is one of
the safest surgical procedures used
to treat sleep apnea and there is very little risk of complications. In
fact, there have never been any major adverse reactions to the
procedure reported and less
than 1% of the almost 50,000 people who
have had the procedure done have reported any negative
reaction.
In
the
cases where a negative reaction was reported, it almost always involves
a pillar where the tip begins to poke through the soft palate due to it
being implanted either too deeply or too shallow.
In
these cases
your doctor can quickly
and easily remove the offending pillar and
re-implant it at the correct depth. Of course, as with any surgical
procedure, there is a very small risk of infection, but this can almost
always be avoided with proper care.
The
actual rods are made of a specific
type of woven polyester which
are completely safe and have been used in surgical implant procedures
for more than fifty plus years, without a single negative reaction.
This makes the pillar procedure the safest sleep apnea surgical
procedure that one can undergo.
Where
to Get the Pillar Procedure Performed
 In
general, most sleep
and snoring clinics offer the pillar procedure
as an option for treating sleep apnea. Most likely you will be able to
find a sleep clinic in your area which offers this procedure among many
other sleep apnea treatment options.
Most
of these clinics are
privately run, but you also have the option to undergo this sleep apnea
treatment procedure at many university
medical centers as well.
Average
Costs of the Pillar Procedure
The
price of this procedure depends on your doctor and where the
procedure is performed, but it generally costs around $1,500.
However,
it is important to note that snoring treatments are considering
cosmetic procedures and will therefore not be covered by most insurance
policies, meaning you will most likely have to pay for it
out of your
own pocket.
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