Uvulopalatopharyngoplasty with CO2, contact ND-YAG or combined CO2 and ND-YAG laser beams

Three different surgical lasers, ie CO₂, contact Nd-YAG and Combolaser (combined simultaneous and co-axial CO₂+Nd-YAG laser beam), were used for 76 uvulopalatopharyngoplasty (UPPP) operations. The effects of different lasers on intra-operative bleeding, operation time and post-operative pain were compared. Sixty patients with obstructive sleep apnoea syndrome (OSAS) and 16 patients with socially disturbing snoring were operated on. The CO₂ laser was used in 24 patients, contact Nd-YAG was used in 27 patients and Combolaser was used in 25 patients. The Combolaser was associated with significantly less intra-operative bleeding and a shorter operation time. During the immediate recovery period, post-operative pain was most mild after operations with the CO₂ laser when graded according to need for analgesics, or by the patients' subjective evaluation. Concerning possible post-operative complaints or overall outcome of the UPPP operation, no differences were found between the lasers.