Implants May Help Those Who Snore

A U.S. study suggest adults with a history of snoring, daytime sleepiness and obstructive sleep apnea/hypopnea syndrome improved with an implant.

Fifty-five patients completed the study — 29 experimental and 26 control — and improvement was statistically significant for the experimental group, according to study author Michael Friedman.

Quality of life surveys, measures of snoring intensity and Epworth Sleepiness Scale were obtained from the study participants.

This study provides level 1 evidence that the palatal implant procedure provides improvement in quality of life and is effective in eliminating snoring in 62.1 percent of patients, and demonstrates a decrease in the level of daytime sleepiness, according to Friedman.

The findings are being presented at the 110th American Academy of Otolaryngology — Head and Neck Surgery Foundation annual meeting in Toronto.