title: Upper Airway Stimulation Therapy.
abstract: Traditional upper airway surgery directly modifies skeletal and soft tissue structures surrounding the airway to treat obstructive sleep apnea (OSA). Upper airway stimulation (UAS) attempts to treat upper airway obstruction and OSA by stimulating the hypoglossal nerve. The Inspire II implant has been approved for clinical UAS. Basic science data support that UAS prevents obstruction and improves airflow. Clinical results demonstrate that UAS improves respiratory sleep metrics and improves both objective and subjective self-reported sleep and quality-of-life outcomes. In a substantial number of individuals who meet inclusion criteria, UAS appears to be a viable, long-term, low-morbidity treatment of moderate-to-severe OSA.
authors.affiliation: Department of Otolaryngology Head and Neck Surgery, University of Colorado School of Medicine, 12631 East, 17th Avenue MS B205, Aurora, CO 80045, USA. Electronic address: katherine.green@ucdenver.edu.
authors.forename: Katherine Koral
authors.initials: KK
authors.lastname: Green
authors.affiliation: Division of Sleep Medicine and Surgery, Department of Otolaryngology, Medical College of Wisconsin, 9200 W Wisconsin Ave, Milwaukee, WI 53226, USA.
authors.forename: B Tucker
authors.initials: BT
authors.lastname: Woodson
mesh_terms: D004599:Electric Stimulation Therapy / Q000295:instrumentation; D006801:Humans; D007002:Hypoglossal Nerve; D009129:Muscle Tonus / Q000502:physiology; D010609:Pharyngeal Muscles / Q000294:innervation / Q000503:physiopathology; D020181:Sleep Apnea, Obstructive / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000628:therapy*
keywords: Cranial nerve stimulation; Hypoglossal nerve; Obstructive sleep apnea; Sleep surgery