What is soft palate obstruction?

What is soft palate obstruction?

An elongated and enlarged soft palate impinges on the posterior airway at the level of the nasopharynx and oral pharynx. In addition, a retruding jaw pushes an enlarged tongue posteriorly to impinge on the hypopharyngeal space. More commonly, airway obstruction occurs in the oropharynx.

How do you fix a collapsed soft palate?

Exercising the palate, i.e. by raising and lowering it, may increase the tone in the muscle, thereby increasing stiffness. Similarly tongue exercises increase muscle tone thereby decreasing extent of its collapse and in turn improving the airway.

What is palatal prolapse?

Isolated palatal collapse was defined as collapse at the level of palate without any involvement of other airway structures. When more than one structure was involved in obstruction, the structure collapsing at the least negative pharyngeal pressure was considered predominant.

Why does the soft palate collapse?

As luminal pressure continues to decrease during inspiration, the highly negative luminal pressure in the pharynx causes the collapse of the soft palate and tongue, which further increases pressure loss in the upper airway ( Figure 1B).

Can the soft palate cause sleep apnea?

Pathophysiology. Obstructive sleep apnea is caused by repetitive upper airway obstruction during sleep as a result of narrowing of the respiratory passages. Patients with the disorder are most often overweight, with associated peripharyngeal infiltration of fat9 and/or increased size of the soft palate and tongue.

Can the soft palate be removed?

UPPP removes excess tissue from the soft palate and pharynx. Your doctor may also remove the tonsils, adenoids, and all or part of the uvula during this procedure. In some African and Middle Eastern countries, uvulectomy is performed much more often as a ritual in babies.

What does soft palate do in breathing?

Breathing. The soft palate separates the mouth and nose, acting as a barrier between the digestive and respiratory tracts. This function allows a person to breathe and eat at the same time.

Why does my airway collapse when I sleep?

Obstructive sleep apnea occurs when the muscles in the back of your throat relax too much to allow normal breathing. These muscles support structures including the back of the roof of your mouth (soft palate), the triangular piece of tissue hanging from the soft palate (uvula), the tonsils and the tongue.

How painful is soft palate surgery?

Surgery on the palate is often performed by making small incisions in the palate, and widening the airway behind the soft palate. Patients often tolerate this procedure well, with only mild to moderate pain.

Can your soft palate collapse?

The back of the throat, known as the soft palate, can collapse. This makes it difficult for air to move freely through the throat. Penn Medicine is one of the few health systems in the country offering transpalatal advancement pharyngoplasty for soft palate collapse.

Can the soft palate collapse?

The back of the throat, known as the soft palate, can collapse. This makes it difficult for air to move freely through the throat.