£3 cure for Merseyside’s snoring problem

Oct 29 2009 by Liza Williams, Liverpool Daily Post

DOCTORS at a Merseyside hospital are pioneering a £3 injection that could cure the region’s snoring problem.

Consultants at Southport & Ormskirk hospital are the only team in Britain to offer the procedure – called the snoreplasty – and it is proving an effective alternative to painful surgery.

Hadi Al-Jassim, the consultant ear, nose and throat surgeon administering the treatment, is now giving lectures to other doctors across the country about the jab.

The two-minute procedure is done under local anaesthetic and involves injecting chemicals into the roof of the patient’s mouth.

This burns the soft tissue at the back of the mouth, creating scarring and stopping vibration – the main cause of snoring.

Dr Al-Jassim says his patients’ partners have been the most appreciative: “Snoring can cause big problems for patients, particularly with their partners who complain they can’t sleep because of the issue.

“Until now, there has been no effective treatment other than surgery.