CPAP Alternative: Minimally Invasive Surgery for Sleep Apnea

Using a CPAP can reduce your risk of serious medical conditions and even save your life, but it’s also a cumbersome machine to deal with. A lot of people stop using CPAP because the mask feels uncomfortable or claustrophobic, the machine noise bothers their partner, and traveling with a CPAP machine can be a nightmare. This explains why only 30% to 60% of those with sleep apnea actually use their CPAP machines. 

If you can’t tolerate a CPAP or you simply don’t want to rely on it long-term, modern ENT care can offer a different path by treating obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) at the source: the specific spot where your airway narrows or collapses during sleep. 

Read on to learn more about minimally invasive treatment options like implant-based therapy, office-based tissue reduction, nasal airflow fixes, and palate or tongue-focused solutions, and where to find the best ENT in Los Angeles for treatment.

Is Surgery for Sleep Apnea Right for You? 

Most patients come to us asking, “Am I a candidate for sleep apnea surgery?” This question usually means you’ve tried CPAP and it felt like sleeping with a leaf blower aimed at your face, or the mask left you dry, restless, and half-awake all night. As the best ENT in Los Angeles, we look at a few key things to figure out whether a surgical treatment option makes sense for you, and which one fits you best:

• The severity of your obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) is based on your sleep study numbers, since mild, moderate, and severe OSA often lead to different treatment paths. 
• Your anatomy, because sleep apnea is often caused by a specific pinch point in the airway, like the nose, soft palate, tonsil area, or the tongue base. 
• BMI and other health conditions like heart or lung disease, high blood pressure, or diabetes, since these can affect both safety and results. 

Not everyone is a good fit for the same treatment option; however, there are several options available, so there's a good chance we’ll find the one that fits your needs, and most patients will not need a major operation.

DISE: The Test That Helps Match You With the Right Treatment

Drug-induced sleep endoscopy, also called DISE, is one of the most important steps in figuring out which sleep apnea treatment actually fits your body. During this short procedure, you are given medication that lets you drift into a light, sleep-like state while your breathing slows and relaxes the way it does at night. While you nap, a small camera is gently guided through the nose to watch your airway in real time. 

DISE shows how your throat moves, narrows, and closes while you sleep, which helps the best ENT in Los Angeles decide whether treatments like Inspire, palate procedures, tongue-base treatment, or a multilevel plan make sense for you. 

Surgical Treatments for Sleep Apnea

There are several surgical treatments for sleep apnea, and each one aims to keep the airway open during sleep by improving airflow and stability where it matters most. The following are considered the best sleep apnea treatments in Los Angeles:

Implant Style Options for Hypoglossal Nerve Stimulation

Implant-style options are great for people who are exhausted from fighting with a CPAP mask every night and want something quieter and less intrusive. This treatment option includes placing a small device under the skin of the chest with a thin wire that gently stimulates the nerve controlling tongue movement while you sleep. Instead of blowing air into your throat like CPAP, it helps keep the airway open by nudging the tongue forward at the right moment. Most people don’t feel this stimulation as pain and usually describe it as a mild pulsing or flutter that eventually fades into being unnoticeable. 

This option is usually considered for adults with moderate to severe obstructive sleep apnea who cannot tolerate CPAP and whose airway collapses in a specific pattern. It’s important to understand that this is not a set-it-and-forget-it solution. The device runs on a battery that typically lasts several years and will need replacement through a minor procedure. 

Minimally Invasive Tissue Reduction 

This treatment option can usually be done in the doctor’s office and involves using gentle heat to shrink and firm up floppy tissue that can vibrate or fall back during sleep. This procedure is commonly called a radiofrequency ablation, or RFA, and can be done with only local numbing medicine, so you stay awake and breathing on your own. During this treatment, you may feel pressure or a warm, brief buzzing sensation, but most patients describe it as just uncomfortable rather than painful. 

RFA can help with snoring and can improve breathing in some cases of mild sleep apnea, especially when the problem is limited to one area, like the soft palate. However, RFA alone is often not enough for moderate or severe obstructive sleep apnea. Recovery from RFA is usually quick and involves having a sore throat for a few days. Improvement tends to build gradually over several weeks as the tissue tightens.

Nasal Breathing Procedures That Can Reduce Resistance 

People often ask if fixing a deviated septum or enlarged turbinates can help with sleep apnea, especially when breathing through the nose feels tight or noisy, and the mouth dries out by morning. Surgery to straighten the septum or reduce swollen turbinates can widen the nasal passages, so air moves in more smoothly and quietly. Many patients notice they are less likely to mouth-breathe, and that alone can reduce snoring and nighttime awakenings. 

For those who still use CPAP, better nasal airflow can make the mask feel more tolerable and lower the sense of pressure pushing against the face. It is important to be clear about expectations. Nasal procedures by themselves usually do not cure obstructive sleep apnea, but they serve as a foundational support for other treatments, whether that is CPAP, an oral appliance, or surgery aimed at the palate or tongue. 

Discover the Best ENT in Los Angeles for Sleep Apnea Treatment

Living with sleep apnea doesn’t have to include bracing for another night of broken sleep. If CPAP hasn’t worked for you, or you just want to get rid of it, minimally invasive sleep apnea surgery may be the perfect solution. 

At our conveniently located offices in Santa Monica and Torrance, Dr. Daneshrad starts by understanding the root cause of your sleep apnea, including evaluating your sleep study and anatomy. When DISE testing is appropriate, we use it to see the collapse pattern in real time, so we’re not basing our treatments on a guess. From there, we build a treatment path that makes sense for your health and your long-term comfort.