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Definition
By Mayo Clinic staff
The Pillar procedure is a treatment used to relieve snoring and mild to moderate symptoms of obstructive sleep apnea, a potentially serious sleep disorder in which breathing repeatedly stops and starts during sleep. Both snoring and obstructive sleep apnea may result from a relaxation of muscles at the back of your throat that blocks your airway when you sleep.
The Pillar procedure involves placing three tiny polyester rods in the fleshy portion of your throat (soft palate). The Pillar procedure is generally done in your doctor's office with local anesthesia. The rods harden the tissue of the palate and cause it to bind with the implants. This slightly stiffens the soft palate to help keep it from relaxing when you sleep.
- Walker RP, et al. Extended follow-up of palatal implants for OSA treatment. Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery. 2007;137:822.
- Catalano P, et al. Additional palatal implants for refractory snoring. Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery. 2007;137:105
- Nordgard S, et al. Soft palate implants for the treatment of mild to moderate obstructive sleep apnea. Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery. 2006;134:565.
- Nordgard S, et al. Palatal implants: A new method for the treatment of snoring. Acta Otolaryngol. 2004;124:970.
- Sleep apnea. National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute. http://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/health/dci/Diseases/SleepApnea/SleepApnea_All.html. Accessed Jan. 27, 2009.
