Obstructive Sleep Apnea Treatment Surgery - How Effective Is Surgery To Cure Obstructive Sleep Apnea

Feb. 28, 2011 - PRLog -- Obstructive Sleep Apnea Treatment Surgery

Effective surgical treatment for obstructive sleep apnea hypopnea syndrome (OSAHS) must be designed to eliminate collapsible soft tissue in the upper airway without interfering with normal function. Creation of a non-collapsible airspace and reduction of airway resistance enables maintenance of adequate airflow with normal inspiratory effort. This translates into elimination or reduction of apneic hypopneic episodes during sleep, control of symptoms and further minimizes ongoing multi-system damage in severe snorers. Obstructive sleep apnea hypopnea syndrome is often caused by multiple levels of obstruction and therefore requires multilevel treatment.

To more precisely identify the anatomic sites of obstruction during sleep, sleep endoscopy was proposed as a preferred method. In a study of 127 patients, 63% had single level obstruction while only 37% had multilevel disease. The study, however, may have misidentified the level of obstruction; tongue base obstruction pushing the palate backward causing secondary palatal obstruction may have been classified as primary palatal obstruction. Another study confirmed the high incidence of multilevel disease and 87% of their 893 patient populations had multilevel obstruction.

Since the majority of snorers suffering from obstructive sleep apnea hypopnea syndrome do have multilevel disease and directing the therapy to a single anatomic level has a high potential for failure, the need for multilevel therapy is evident. Historically, surgical treatment for obstructive sleep apnea hypopnea syndrome was often based on trial and error.

Snorers would invariably undergo Uvulopalatopharyngoplasty (UPPP) as a first stage. If the disease was not eliminated, they would go on to have hypopharyngeal surgery. Planned multilevel surgery at a single phase however has now become standard in many centers. Try Internet #1 - Obstructive Sleep Apnea Treatment Surgery @ http://insomniacure01.webs.com and kill your Insomnia Forever.

Many otolaryngologists presume that although Uvulopalatopharyngoplasty (UPPP) may not cure the patients with severe OSAHS, it is likely to be effective for patients with mild disease. There are however many studies indicating that the severity of disease is not a predictor of success with single level surgery. These patients underwent Uvulopalatopharyngoplasty (UPPP) and the success rate was only 40%.

The ideal procedure for OSAHS snorers would have low morbidity, allow reasonable success, have low risk of alteration of the original upper aerodigestive tract function, and could be performed in a single stage. In our experience, patients with severe disease and obvious daytime sleepiness often have strong motivation for multilevel surgery with invasive procedures to address the obstructed sites. However, patients with mild or moderate obstructive sleep apnea are less likely to be willing to undergo aggressive surgical procedures.

Continuous positive airway pressure(CPAP)remains the initial treatment for obstructive sleep apnea hypopnea syndrome. However, there is a significant percentage of obstructive sleep apnea hypopnea syndrome patients who either fail or are unwilling to pursue Continuous positive airway pressure(CPAP) therapy. For these patients, surgery offers a viable alternative chance to control obstructive sleep apnea hypopnea syndrome.

The subjective and objective severity of obstructive sleep apnea hypopnea syndrome integrated with the degree of anatomic abnormality dictates the choice of surgical procedures. These vary from single to multilevel therapy using either minimally invasive or classic invasive techniques in various combinations. Try Internet #1 - Obstructive Sleep Apnea Treatment Surgery @ http://insomniacure01.webs.com and kill your Insomnia Forever.

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