Snoring: surgical vs. nonsurgical management.

Eighteen children were treated for snoring. Surgical removal of enlarged tonsils and/or adenoids resulted in prompt and total elimination of snoring in 17 of these patients. One child required nasal and sinus surgery to gain relief from snoring. Eighty-three adults were interviewed, examined, and treated for snoring. Correction of anatomical abnormalities in the nose, soft palate, uvula, and pharynx achieved elimination of snoring in 72% of surgically treated cases. By contrast, nonsurgical remedies achieved snoring elimination in only 5% of patients (controls). Tracheostomy was required in 10% of snoring adults--those who proved to have severe obstructive sleep apnea syndrome. Snoring is due to the combined effect of several anatomic and physiologic abnormalities in the nasal and pharyngeal segments of the airway. It may be amenable to surgical therapy when the severity of the problem warrants it.