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The Center for Sleep Disorder Surgery

The Center for Sleep Disorder Surgery of Loyola University Medical Center, Maywood, Illinois, is committed to offering complete evaluation, education and treatment of sleep disorders and sleep disordered breathing with an emphasis on providing the newest technologies and services in the safest manner.

The Center for Sleep Disorder Surgery
Sleep disorders and sleep disordered breathing represent a common disorder found in the American population. From problems with snoring to obstructive sleep apnea, the Center for Sleep Disorder Surgery is designed to provide expert analysis and evaluation of the contributing anatomic factors. All initial evaluations at the Center for Sleep Disordered Surgery are dedicated to providing accurate diagnoses and educating the patient of the treatment options.

Initial evaluation of sleep disordered breathing, snoring or obstructive sleep apnea requires a complete airway evaluation. As the upper airway is composed of three major components, the nasal passage, the palate and the base of tongue, each area must be evaluated and surgical treatment can be offered appropriately. The Center for Sleep Disorder Surgery works closely with the Loyola University Sleep Center run by Dr. Nidhi Undevia to ensure that proper assessment and medical management of sleep disordered breathing is accomplished.

The faculty of the Loyola Center for Sleep Disorder Surgey includes Dr. James A. Stankiewicz, professor and chairman, and Dr. K. Muzaffar, MD The combined experience and knowledge of this faculty offers a wide variety of techniques and availability. With this faculty, the Loyola Center for Sleep Disordered Surgery aims to provide the best available care, traditional and state of the art surgical treatment for sleep disordered breathing,

Patient Education

Typical Disorders Treated at the Loyola Center for Sleep Disorder Surgery Typical Procedures Done at Loyola Center for Sleep Disorder Surgery

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Snoring
Snoring represents a common phenomenon that can have a profound impact on sleep hygiene. Resulting from upper airway resistance during breathing, snoring represents the production of noise during sleep without cessation of breathing. Surgical correction of snoring can require nasal surgery such as septoplasty, or turbinate reduction or palatal surgery such as palatal implantation, or laser assisted surgery. The key to successful surgical treatment of snoring is in evaluation of the cause of the upper airway resistance

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Obstructive Sleep Apnea
Obstructive Sleep Apnea (OSA) represents the cessation of breathing while asleep. This disorder can have a profound impact on cognition, daily life and the general ability to stay awake during the day. The first line treatment of OSA remains the use of continual positive airway pressure, otherwise known as the CPAP machine. Evaluation of OSA often requires a sleep study. Surgical treatment for OSA includes palatal surgery such as UPPP, tongue base procedures, or nasal surgery. The goal for any intervention with OSA remains to improve the quality of sleep and minimize health risks associated with OSA.

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Nasal Obstruction/Deviated Nasal Septum
Difficulty with nasal breathing can often be attributed to a deviated nasal septum or enlarged structures within the nose known as turbinates. The nasal septum divides the nose into a right and left nasal cavity. This bony and cartilaginous structure is often bent or curved to one side secondary to some sort of trauma. While some nasal sprays may help improve nasal breathing, a deviated nasal septum may require surgical repair to ultimately improve nasal breathing. The repair of a deviated nasal septum is called a septoplasty. Turbinates function within the nose to heat, humidify and filter the air that one breathes. Often enlarged secondary to reactivity, these structures can be reduced to improve nasal airflow with techniques such as somnoplasty or turbinate reduction.

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Palatal Implatation
Snoring is the result of upper airway resistance that produces sound. Often the sound of snoring results from vibration of the palate or uvula. With a new technique, implants can be placed within the palate to stiffen the palate and reduce the sound of snoring. Done in the office, palatal implantation represents one of the newest procedures available for treatment of snoring

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Laser Assisted Palatal Surgery
The laser represents one of the state of the art instruments that is available to correct not only snoring, but in some cases obstructive sleep apnea. In an office based procedure the laser is used to trim noise producing structures such as the uvula and/or encourage specific scarring patterns that will result in a stiffer, less noisy palate. Laser palatal surgery has been offered at the Loyola Center for Sleep Disordered Surgery since 1993.

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Tongue Base Procedures
The tongue base is an area of the tongue that can collapse into the airway causing obstruction. Procedures designed to reduce the tongue base include office based somnoplasty or operative techniques. Tongue base procedures also can involve surgery of the mandible or suspension sutures that are used to help prevent the posterior collapse of the tongue base.

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Somnoplasty/Turbinate Reduction Surgery
Nasal turbinates are structures within the nasal cavity that heat, humidify and filter the air one breates. Somnoplasty is an office base technique that uses heat to destroy the thick tissue of the nasal turbinates that ultimately results in an improved nasal airway. Other techniques of nasal turbinate reduction include out patient surgical procedures that directly reduces the size of the nasal turbinates.

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Septoplasty
Septoplasty is the repair and correction of a deviated nasal septum. Septoplasty does not change the outward appearance of the nose. By careful manipulation and removal of some bony or cartilaginous defects, the nasal septum can be returned to its ideal midline position. The aim of septoplasty is to provide for an open and normal nasal airway.

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Uvulopalatoplasty (UPPP)
Uvulopalatalplasty (UPPP) is a surgical technique designed at trimming and re-orienting the palate in a manner that improves the diameter of the oral/palatal airway. UPPP is a technique that has been around since 1983 and is primarily used in the treatment of obstructive sleep apnea (OSA). UPPP is generally done as an inpatient procedure with an overnight hospital stay.

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Last Reviewed: Sept. 18, 2009

Department: (708) 216-8563
Appointments: (708) 216-3835

The Center for Sleep Disorder Surgery Services

Laser Assisted Palatal Surgery

Nasal Obstruction/Deviated Nasal Septum

Obstructive Sleep Apnea

Palatal Implatation

Patient education

Septoplasty

Snoring

Somnoplasty/Turbinate reduction surgery

Tongue base procedures

Uvulopalatoplasty (UPPP)