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Consultation followed by examination
In an initial information consultation, the top priority questions are clarified. If the patient wished to have more certainty about his problems following the consultation, then an analysis of his respiratory passage is carried out via an X-ray of the craniofacial area (cephalogram). If this intensifies the suspicion of sleep apnoea, the patient is passed on to the sleep laboratory for examination.
Examination costs
The diagnostic examination costs are usually paid for by your health insurance company, if there is a suspicion of obstructive sleep apnoea. If you suspect that you are suffering from sleep apnoea we recommend that you get in touch with your health insurance company to find out if the possible costs for an investigation of the sleep apnoea will be paid for.
Sleep laboratory
In the sleep laboratory, the quality of sleep, sleep phases (EEG) and oxygen values in the blood are measured, and the breathing and pulse are recorded during sleep. The data from this examination enables the exact diagnosis of obstructive sleep apnoea. The oxygen saturation levels can be compared with the values of post-op examinations after an operation has taken place. After the examination in the sleep laboratory, Professor Sailer evaluates the laboratory results and discusses the possibility of operative treatment in detail.
Operation planning
If, after the evaluation of the sleep laboratory results, the patient decides on a surgical operation to cure the obstructive sleep apnoea, the operation planning begins. A medical attest is prepared for the health insurance company, as well as a cost plan for the entire treatment. The patient also receives the contact addresses of former sleep apnoea patients who have been cured and who have agreed to discuss their experiences about their suffering before and their life after the treatment to other people suffering from sleep apnoea.
Operation
In order to guarantee a permanent cure for the sleep apnoea, the cause needs to be eliminated. This occurs when the lower jaw and upper jaw are moved and rotated forward, so that the upper respiratory passages (oropharyngeal) which are too narrow expand. The procedure is carried out exclusively in the oral cavity and there are no outwardly visible scars. The operation takes place in the region of the wisdom teeth. The jaw is gently divided there with an ultrasound osteotome. This operation has already been carried out over a thousand times and is a routine procedure at the Klinik Professor Sailer, leading to the elimination of sleep apnoea. The treatment is performed under general anaesthesia. Even after the operation, the patient is free of pain.
After the operation
On the day after the operation, the patient is mobile, free of pain and, through the increased intake of oxygen by the expanded respiratory passages, fit and active. Snoring disappears and the patient enjoys restorative sleep without the help of medical devices such as breathing masks or mandibular advancement splints.
There is some pronounced swelling which slowly disappears after around 4 - 7 days. It is more or less comparable to pulling 4 wisdom teeth. After a 3 - 5 day stay in hospital, the patient can move to a nearby hotel and is able to travel home after about 10 days; after 2-3 weeks, the patient is able to return to work and be socially active again. After the operation, the patient should eat only liquid pureed food for around 3 weeks. Thanks to this ingesting of exclusively soft foodstuffs, the patients often lose weight in the days after the operation, which is a pleasant side effect for many of them.
Another pleasant side effect of the sleep apnoea operation is an associated increase in attractiveness thanks to the correction of the jaw’s growth deficit.