Characterization of the Postoperative Pain Course and Intensity After Uvulopalatoplasty With Radiofrequency Knife (RAUP)

For the treatment of social snoring one common treatment modality is the surgical reconstruction of the soft palate. The procedure is a routine operation performed at nearly all Ear-Nose- and Throat departments in Norway. The surgery is done with local anaesthesia in an out-patient setting where the patients' postoperative observation at the hospital is limited to 1-2 hours. As the surgery is done in the sensitive mucosa and palatopharyngeal musculature the postoperative course might be unpleasant. The patients are therefore in the need of regular postoperative pain treatment extending into the 2 first weeks after surgery.

At hospitals the uvulopalatoplasty is performed using a radiofrequency knife (RAUP) after the soft palate has been infiltrated with local anaesthesia (1% xylocain/adrenaline). The incision is done paramedialy to the uvular base and up into the musculature of the soft palate then making a smooth arch toward the pharyngeal tonsil upper limit. The then elongated uvula is amputated to about ½ cm. Occasionally, a suture is placed laterally and medially to lift the palate and prevent postoperative scaring. Coagulation is done if necessary with light bipolar diathermy.

As the postoperative course might be unpleasant after RAUP it is of interest to study the time course and intensity of pain after surgery when using the standardised postoperative pain treatment at OmniaSykehuset. The result will be useful in future studies looking at ways to improve the pain treatment after uvulopalatoplasty.