title: A Survey of Sleep Medicine Physician Perceptions on the Surgical Treatment of Obstructive Sleep Apnea.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Surgical treatment for obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) varies by specialty. Our survey sought to answer 3 principal questions: 1) To which surgical specialists are sleep physicians referring patients for upper airway surgery? 2) Which surgical treatment do sleep specialists find to be most effective in treating OSA? 3) Do sleep medicine physicians believe that maxillomandibular advancement (MMA) is worthwhile to patients who are surgical candidates?
  
  
  METHODS
  We formulated a cross-sectional survey. The study sample was obtained by identifying all practices that advertised as sleep medicine specialists in Houston, Texas, by using Internet searches. Physicians who treated children were excluded. Seventy-nine surveys were hand delivered to offices in the greater Houston area; the survey included 6 questions to determine referral and surgical preferences for OSA. Variable responses included years in practice, specialty, and a comments section. A 10-point Likert scale was used to assess sleep medicine physicians' referral patterns and perceptions regarding surgical treatment of OSA. Numerical data were analyzed by calculating mean values and by dividing responses into "disagree" (<5), "neutral" (5), and "agree" (>5).
  
  
  RESULTS
  Twenty-six surveys were returned. More sleep medicine physicians referred patients to ear, nose, and throat surgeons (52%) than to oral and maxillofacial surgeons (20%). MMA was viewed as the most effective surgery (72%), followed by "none" (16%), "other" (8%), and uvulopalatopharyngoplasty (4%). More respondents viewed the benefits versus risks as favorable for MMA (44%) than for uvulopalatopharyngoplasty (29%).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The results of this survey show that sleep medicine physicians in the greater Houston area view MMA as the most favorable and effective surgical option for treating OSA. Although MMA was most often referred for, more respondents refer patients to ear, nose, and throat surgeons than to oral and maxillofacial surgeons for surgical management of OSA. Years in practice displayed no correlation in referral patterns or preference for type of OSA surgery.
authors.affiliation: Resident, Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, University of Texas at Houston Health Science Center, Houston, TX. Electronic address: Jonathan.J.Swope@uth.tmc.edu.
authors.forename: Jonathan J
authors.initials: JJ
authors.lastname: Swope
authors.affiliation: Resident, Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, University of Texas at Houston Health Science Center, Houston, TX.
authors.forename: Marcus A
authors.initials: MA
authors.lastname: Couey
authors.affiliation: Professor, Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, University of Texas at Houston Health Science Center, Houston, TX.
authors.forename: James W
authors.initials: JW
authors.lastname: Wilson
authors.affiliation: Assistant Professor, Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, University of Texas at Houston Health Science Center, Houston, TX.
authors.forename: Jonathon S
authors.initials: JS
authors.lastname: Jundt
mesh_terms: D001291:Attitude of Health Personnel; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D019538:Health Care Surveys; D006801:Humans; D020181:Sleep Apnea, Obstructive / Q000601:surgery*; D056508:Sleep Medicine Specialty