Cautery Assisted Palatal Stiffening Operation (CAPSO)

Under local anesthetic in a single outpatient visit, the Cautery Assisted Palatal Stiffening Operation or CAPSO procedure employs an electrically heated scalpel to make a number of very shallow incisions in the soft palate. The resultant scarring causes fibrosis that stiffens the soft palate. Because this procedure is less invasive than some snoring procedures, there are generally fewer complications, however post-operative pain is similar to the other surgical methods. Data now available shows that CAPSO’s short-term efficacy is similar to more invasive methods.

Reprinted from the American Academy of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery Web site with permission of the American Academy of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery Foundation, copyright © 2003.