title: Surgical options for the treatment of obstructive sleep apnea.
abstract: Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) is a prevalent condition characterized by repetitive airway obstruction during sleep with associated increased morbidity and mortality. Although CPAP is the preferred treatment, poor compliance is common. Patients intolerant of conventional OSA medical treatment may benefit from surgical therapy to alleviate pharyngeal obstruction. Case series suggest that maxillomandibular advancement has the highest surgical efficacy (86%) and cure rate (43%). Soft palate surgical techniques are less successful, with uvulopalatopharyngoplasty having an OSA surgical success rate of 50% and cure rate of 16%. Further research is needed to more thoroughly assess clinical outcomes (eg, quality of life, morbidity), better identify key preoperative patient and clinical characteristics that predict success, and confirm long-term effectiveness of surgical modalities to treat OSA.
authors.affiliation: Division of Pulmonary, Critical Care and Sleep Medicine, Department of Medicine, VA Palo Alto Health Care System, 3801 Miranda Avenue, Palo Alto, CA 94304, USA. jholty@stanford.edu <jholty@stanford.edu>
authors.forename: Jon-Erik C
authors.initials: JE
authors.lastname: Holty
authors.forename: Christian
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Guilleminault
mesh_terms: D050110:Bariatric Surgery; D006801:Humans; D053685:Laser Therapy; D013517:Otorhinolaryngologic Surgical Procedures; D012307:Risk Factors; D020181:Sleep Apnea, Obstructive / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000601:surgery*