Anaesthesia for laser pharyngoplasty--a comparison of the tracheal tube with the reinforced laryngeal mask airway.

A common cause of snoring is palatal flutter which occurs when turbulent air flow causes the flexible soft palate to flutter. Surgical correction involves either removal of the soft palate or a reduction in its flexibility. Laser pharyngoplasty is a new surgical procedure designed to stiffen the soft palate. It presents a unique combination of problems for the anaesthetist. In this paper we describe the evolution of the anaesthetic technique for laser pharyngoplasty and analyse the results of the first 165 cases. Points of particular interest include the use of the reinforced laryngeal mask airway compared with the tracheal tube and late onset pain.