pillar procedure

[sundown angel]

Has anyone tried the pillar procedure? it sounds very interesting and I was wondering if anyone has had any success. THANKS.

[snork1]

Do a search on "pillar".
you will find LOTS of information

[DCTom]

I received the Pillar Procedure. The procedure itself was simple and easy. Minimal pain or discomfort. No pain meds needed, just Tylenol. It significantly reduced my snoring and I believe it's helped reduce the number of apneas based on how I feel. But in no way did it cure me. I need to have another sleep study to follow-up. I understand they are going to start clinical trials soon to insert 5 pillars rather than just 3. Maybe that would make a bigger difference?

[meister]

I had the Pillar Procedure done on May 19th. I am still waiting for some
reduction in my AHI. The Doctor said it could take 2 or 3 months to
"kick in". A second ENT said that my condition was way too severe for
the Pillar to help, and that I should get the UPPP surgery. My sister
had the UPPP surgery and it didn't do a thing for her, other than make
her talk funny, and whatever she drank come out her nostrils.

[snork1]

[quote="meister"]I had the Pillar Procedure done on May 19th. I am still waiting for some
reduction in my AHI. The Doctor said it could take 2 or 3 months to
"kick in". A second ENT said that my condition was way too severe for
the Pillar to help, and that I should get the UPPP surgery. My sister
had the UPPP surgery and it didn't do a thing for her, other than make
her talk funny, and whatever she drank come out her nostrils.

[Guest]

[quote="DCTom"]I received the Pillar Procedure. The procedure itself was simple and easy. Minimal pain or discomfort. No pain meds needed, just Tylenol. It significantly reduced my snoring and I believe it's helped reduce the number of apneas based on how I feel. But in no way did it cure me. I need to have another sleep study to follow-up. I understand they are going to start clinical trials soon to insert 5 pillars rather than just 3. Maybe that would make a bigger difference?

[DCTom]

You say: "That procedure sure comes with lots of excuses, seems you are always going to be the guinea pig. They are probably going to 5 cause 3 doesn't really seem to work all that well and their own data shows you still snore after the procedure."

Listen, all medical advances come with trial and error and in the beginning, we are all guinea pigs aren't we? The first patients to receive chemotherapy were guinea pigs too. And how about the very early versions of CPAP? Have you seen what a CPAP machine looked like 10-20 years ago? Did C-flex exist 5 years ago? Does that make CPAP manufactures negligent? No of course not.

Too many people on these Boards complain about medicine and medical science. If Restore Medical knew a better way than the Pillar Procedure, believe me, they'd be doing it. And I'm sure in 5-10 years they'll look back and be able to draw on their experience to improve it. That is the way of medicine and medical science.

If it were not for "guine pigs," most of us would be dead. I applaud Restore Medical and everyone else trying to cure OSA.