[citation needed] Prior to somnoplasty procedure, a doctor may want a patient to attempt more conservative remedies such as sleeping in a different position.
[3] Once the Somnoplasty procedure is started, the patient is given a local anesthetic and a special needle-like electrode with an insulating sleeve covering all but the tip, that delivers RF energy under the surface of the tissue.
The electrode is used to administer controlled, low-power RF energy to create coagulative (clotting) lesions, where tissue is denatured, beneath the mucosa (lining) of the targeted areas: Note: the actual areas targeted depends on each individual's specific anatomy, so the above are just general associations.
[4] Somnoplasty was invented by Stuart D. Edwards, and Ingemar Henry Lundquist of Menlo Park, California.
The original patent assignee was Vidamed, Inc.[5] It is currently marketed by Somnus Medical Technologies, Inc. of Sunnyvale, California.