Please activate JavaScript!
Please install Adobe Flash Player, click here for download
ePaper created 2016-04-05, 13:01:42 | version 1.38.0
industry report | 29 1 2016 laser Walker AT, Fotona, Slovenia) in non-contact mode (1.15 W, 2 Hz, 1.57 J/cm2 , SMOOTH mode, Fig. 1). The surface of the soft palate of each rat in the experimental group was irradiated for two min- utes. The laser beam was manually guided across the soft palate horizontally. The control group did not receive any treatment (Fig. 2). The animals were sacrificed after 24 hours, one week, three weeks or five weeks. The soft palates of each rat were removed by excisional biopsy. The specimens underwent histological examina- tion with an optical microscope (CX 31, Olympus, Tokyo, Japan) used for the examination (X4 and X10 zoom). Sections were evaluated by an experienced pathologist without any knowledge of the type of animal group and inflammation; contraction was reported as grading from 1+ to 3+. Statistical analysis was done with Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) for Windows 10 and, where appropriate, Mann-Whitney U-Test and Spearman’s rho, with P values less than 0.05 con- sidered significant. Results The overlying mucosa of each rat in the experi- mental group was intact, with some superficial blanching, but carbonisation of the tissue was not observed. All animals recovered normally and tol- erated normal intake of food and water within 1 ± 1.5 hours after reaction from the anaesthesia, without any complications thereafter. There was no exposed wound, bleeding or necrosis to be found when the soft palate was observed macro- scopically after sacrificing the animals. A noticeable contraction of the soft palate oc- curred immediately after laser application (Fig. 3). After the first 24 hours, contraction of the tissue was labeled as level 2.5. Shrinkage decreased gradually and was scored as 1.6 at the first week, 1.3 at the third week, but was still present at the end of fifth week at level 1. Discussion This study evaluated the contraction of the soft palate of rats after Er:YAG laser irradiation. Histologically, acute shrinkage was observed in the experiment (Fig. 3). Snoring is a problem that affects the majority of the population. A nar- rowed pharyngeal airway and extra vibratory tissue are what cause snoring,5 and the general aim of treatment options is to expand the airway and eliminate the redundant vibratory struc- tures. The optimal treatment would effectively decrease the sound of snoring while being sim- ple and safe.4 Research on surgical approaches of snoring and sleep apnea has focused on causing less tissue damage. Haytaoglu et al. compared the effects of palatal implants and uvulopalatal flaps on snoring and sleep apnea management.7 They re- ported that hospitalisation, preoperative labora- tory studies and loss of labor make uvulopalatal flaps an expensive and non-preferred method for snoring and sleep apnea treatment, while palatal implants could be placed in shorter time under local anaesthesia with a lower rate of morbidity. Wang et al. used Nd:YAG laser as an alternative to uvulopalatopharyngoplasty (UPPP) on an ani- mal model and demonstrated the stiffening and elevation of the soft palate.3 They reported that Nd:YAG laser seemed to be effective in palate shortening and stiffness of the canine, but it re- mained to be determined if it would produce the same effects in human subjects. Fig. 2 Fig. 3 Fig. 2: Normal mucosa of the control group. Fig. 3: Acute shrinkage of the soft palate. 12016