Veil treatment and somnoplasty

The somnoplasty technique involves administering radio waves (radiofrequencies) to the back of the throat (soft palate).

This somnoplasty method has convinced the US Department of Health and Human Services (FDA) to approve it. It consists in creating small lesions in the soft palate muscles using an electrode carrying radiofrequency waves. These thermal lesions cause the soft palate muscles to contract as they heal. This reduces the volume of the soft palate tissue, creating fibrosis which stiffens it and makes it less flaccid. Technically, all that's required is three punctures, one on the midline and two more laterally on the soft palate, each lasting around 25 seconds. Compared with surgery, somnoplasty offers the advantage of being less invasive (no surgical removal), respecting anatomical structures (no risk of vocal modification) and painless. Performed under pure local anaesthetic, it has gradually replaced the more painful and invasive laser technique. Surgery is now proposed only in cases of excess tonsil volume, which cannot be removed by this technique. 2 to 3 sessions are usually required.

The only problem is treating the uvula, which cannot be made rigid, and is often stretched in snorers, contributing to snoring. In these conditions, it is necessary to combine somnoplasty with partial uvulectomy by radiofrequency, which consists in cutting the lower, non-muscular part of the uvula. This uvulectomy is simply performed at the same time as the somnoplasty session, with the only change being the possibility of a week's post-operative pain.

Radio frequency generator	Radiofrequency electrode

Radiofrequency treatment after injection	anesthetic in the soft palate