| New Surgical Options Make for
a Better Night's Sleep
Surgeon Focuses on Minimally Invasive
Techniques to Alleviate Sleep Apnea
Tri-City Voice, July 24, 2007
Obstructed sleep apnea — the repeated
cessation of breathing — affects an
estimated 12 million Americans,
according to the National Institutes of
Health (NIH). People with sleep apnea
literally stop breathing repeatedly
during their sleep, often for a minute
or longer and as many as hundreds of
times during a single night.
Sleep apnea can be
caused by either complete obstruction of
the airway, called obstructive apnea or
partial obstruction, known as
obstructive hypopnea, which is exhibited
by slow, shallow breathing. Both types
can wake sufferers and interrupt needed
sleep.
Typically
under-diagnosed, sleep apnea effects can
far exceed the characteristic symptoms,
such as snoring. The condition can cause
a drop in oxygen levels, which may lead
to pulmonary constriction, increasing
the risk of diabetes, stroke, heart
failure and arrhythmia, according to Dr.
Jason Van Tassel, an otolaryngologist
and head and neck surgeon, who recently
joined the Washington Township Medical
Group in Fremont.
“Sleep apnea’s
connection with sleep deprivation has
been correlated with automobile
accidents, and can impede a person’s
ability to lose weight due to diminished
energy for exercise, perpetuating a
vicious cycle, given that obesity is a
contributing factor for sleep apnea,” he
says. “This is a big public health
problem.”
Dr. Van Tassel is
one of the ground floor practitioners of
the FDA-approved Pillar Implant
procedure, which is emerging as one of
the most effective methods in an arsenal
of options for treating snoring problems
and mild to moderate sleep apnea, with
nearly an 80 percent success rate.
The outpatient
treatment stiffens the soft tissue that
makes up the back of the roof of the
mouth, known as the soft palate, via the
insertion of three small pegs of
multiple polyester fibers together into
precise specifications. These fibers
act to reduce the vibration (snoring) of
the soft palate that causes turbulent
airflow, helping to alleviate sleep
apnea’s pattern of collapse and
obstruction during sleep. Dr. Van Tassel
likens the procedure to the structural
support in the battens of a sail, which
maximizes the boat’s ability to move
efficiently through the water.
By utilizing this
lesser invasive approach in conjunction
with other treatments, such as
septoplasty – a
corrective procedure that straightens
the partition between the two nasal
cavities to ease breathing or a
surgical procedure to shorten the uvula
– Dr. Van Tassel says he is able to
further maximize each patient’s outcome
Through this
approach, Dr. Van Tassel can restore a
patient’s healthy sleep patterns — not
to mention his or her bed mate’s —
through a natural flow of breathing and
an elimination of snoring.
Board certified by
the American Board of Otolaryngology,
Dr. Van Tassel specializes in treating
diseases of the ears, nose and throat
(ENT), including facial trauma, related
facial plastic surgery, and endoscopy.
Van Tassel treats hearing and voice
problems and he performs an outpatient
surgery called Functional Endoscopic
Sinus Surgery (FESS) on people suffering
from chronic sinus problems. Performed
under the magnification of a small
telescopic fiber-optic tube, known as an
endoscope, FESS is precise enough to
remove diseased tissue and bone, open
the sinuses and help to restore the nose
and sinus to health.
Dr. Van Tassel is
also board certified by the American
Board of Facial Plastic and
Reconstructive Surgery and he performs a
variety of facial rejuvenation
procedures, whether it be an eyelid
lift, mid or short scar facelift to
improve the appearance of the aging
face, or to augment a person’s chin or
cheek lines, He describes the procedures
he performs as restorative rather than
transformative in their final
appearance.
“It’s a natural
result to the patient, their family
members and their peers,” Van Tassel
says. “They look refreshed. I spend a
lot of time focusing with the patient on
what they looked like in their youth, so
when we’re restoring the canvas that is
their face, we’re not creating an
entirely new portrait, but restoring one
to its original condition. I don’t see a
patient as a one-dimensional picture I
see them as a person in three
dimensions.”
His precise,
minimally invasive surgical techniques
utilized during rhinoplasty procedures —
be it for aesthetic or health concerns —
offer patients faster results and
quicker healing time, with less
bruising. “I have a focused eye on
creating natural appearing results that
are balanced with their face and don’t
look operated on,” he says.
|
Below:
During the FDA-approved
Pillar Implant procedure,
three tiny woven implants
are placed in the soft
palate to help reduce the
vibration that causes
snoring and the ability of
hte soft palate to obstruct
the airway. Once in place,
the implants add structural
support to the soft palate.
Over time, the body's
natural tissue response to
the inserts increases the
structural integrity of the
soft palate. |
Below:
Pillar implants in relation
to the size of a dime. The
implants are designed to be
invisible and should not be
felt or interfere with
swallowing or speech |
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Find a doctor today
To find a local
physician, call Washington Hospital’s
Health Connection line at (800) 963-7070
or search for a local physician by name,
location, specialty and gender on
Washington Hospital’s Web site at
www.whhs.com by clicking on “Find a
Physician.”
To learn more about
the resources offered through the
American Sleep Apnea Association, visit
their website
www.sleepapnea.org |
