Ho Chi Minh City Anh Tuan, 43 years old, snores due to tonsillitis, nasal turbinate hypertrophy, and laryngeal stenosis. He had endoscopic surgery to correct the inferior nasal turbinate and uvula, and remove his tonsils.
The results of Mr. Tuan's ENT endoscopy at Tam Anh General Hospital in Ho Chi Minh City showed hypertrophic tonsillitis (recurrent tonsillitis causing swelling), bilateral hypertrophy of the inferior nasal turbinate, and narrowing of the nasopharynx. The nasopharynx is the back part of the throat including the soft palate, uvula, tonsils, and base of the tongue.
On December 4, Master, Doctor, Doctor Pham Thai Duy, ENT Center, said that there are many combined causes leading to congestion and "thunderous" snoring in patients. Too large nasal turbinates hinder breathing through the nose, especially when sleeping. Narrow throat increases pressure on the airway, over time causing swelling of the throat wall, causing rhinopharyngitis, hypertrophic tonsillitis, and snoring.
Considering the advantages and disadvantages of medical and surgical treatment, the doctor advised the patient to undergo a "3-in-1" surgery, including endoscopic correction of the inferior turbinate, tonsillectomy, and uvulopalatopharyngoplasty. The uvulopalatopharyngoplasty helps to widen the airway in the throat area by removing the soft tissue of the uvula and the lateral wall of the throat, possibly with tonsillectomy.
Dr. Tran Thi Thuy Hang, Head of the Department of Otorhinolaryngology, said that the "3 in 1" surgery helps limit the number of times it needs to be performed, but the patient will have incisions in both the mouth and nose, which can cause more discomfort. To overcome this, the team will remove the tonsils and reshape the uvula using Coblator technology to cut, burn and stop bleeding at the site, limiting damage to healthy tissue. After that, a partial endoscopic resection of the inferior turbinate is performed, limiting the risk of infection and preserving sinus function.
Doctor Thai Duy (right) and the endoscopic surgery team for the patient. Photo: Tam Anh Hospital
Mr. Tuan was discharged from the hospital two days after surgery, his health was stable, he could talk, had no discomfort in his nose and throat, slept better and stopped snoring.
Doctor Hang added that there are many levels of throat stenosis. At a severe level, snoring not only affects people around but also worsens existing medical conditions such as high blood pressure, diabetes, and increased risk of stroke... This is also the cause of sleep apnea syndrome.
Treatment of snoring requires the coordination of many specialties, including ENT, respiratory, neurology... Complicated cases require multidisciplinary consultation, imaging and functional tests such as ENT endoscopy, spirometry, polysomnography, maxillofacial CT scan... to determine the cause and appropriate treatment.
Patients are advised on non-invasive (using a ventilator) and invasive (including surgery to treat nasal congestion, uvulopalatopharyngoplasty, maxillofacial surgery, radiofrequency ablation) treatments. Usually, a combination of multiple methods gives better results.
According to Dr. Hang, no matter which treatment method is chosen, the ultimate goal is for the patient to have improved sleep, stop snoring, and better control internal medical conditions.
After surgery, patients need to maintain a scientific lifestyle, exercise, eat healthily and control sinus diseases well to prevent recurrence.
Khanh Ngoc
* Patient name has been changed
| Readers ask questions about ear, nose and throat diseases here for doctors to answer |
Source link
![[Photo] General Secretary To Lam and Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh attend the first Congress of the National Data Association](https://vstatic.vietnam.vn/vietnam/resource/IMAGE/2025/3/22/5d9be594d4824ccba3ddff5886db2a9e)
Comment (0)