title: Surgical treatment of obstructive sleep apnea.
abstract: THE PRIMARY TREATMENT for obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) has been continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) therapy, but the minimum acceptable number of hours of nightly CPAP use remains unclear. INTEGRATED SOFT TISSUE and bone surgery may be a viable alternative for patients who have rejected CPAP as a treatment option. Formal sleep testing has shown that surgery and CPAP therapy are equally successful at resolving OSA. REPEAT SLEEP TESTING conducted several years after patients have undergone combined soft tissue and bone surgery has demonstrated consistent and reliable surgical results. Patients with OSA should be offered surgery as an alternative to life-long CPAP treatment or as an option when CPAP therapy has not been successful.
authors.affiliation: Lexington Clinic, KY, USA.
authors.forename: Wayne
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Colin
authors.forename: Susan
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Duval
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D045422:Continuous Positive Airway Pressure; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D010353:Patient Education as Topic; D013527:Perioperative Nursing; D020181:Sleep Apnea, Obstructive / Q000451:nursing* / Q000601:surgery* / Q000628:therapy; D016896:Treatment Outcome