Transpalatal advancement pharyngoplasty (TAP) is the latest type of surgery that may be beneficial to sleep apnea patients. Although CPAP is the still the most widely used and most successful type of treatment for sleep apnea, it doesn’t help everyone. Like myself, there are many people who can’t stand the way the mask feels on their face or the constant noise coming from the machine.
This procedure is considered an alternative to UPPP. TAP basically opens up the space at the back of the roof of the mouth increasing the airway. (This doesn’t sound like an easy procedure and I bet that the recovery time is long). Here is a detailed description of the procedure.
A study was done at the St. Johns Hospital, 60 patients were tested and the success rate was 63 per cent. I know that it is over 50 per cent but that still doesn’t sound like good odds to me. I would probably be in the remaining 37 per cent.
I can imagine that this surgery would take a long time. It sounds similar to the UPPP, a surgery that not everyone has found successful.
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