Abstract
The first-line treatment of obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) is positive airway pressure (PAP). If PAP fails to adequately treat the OSA, oral appliances that enlarge the airway (mandibular advancement devices primarily, or the tongue retaining device if the patient has no dentition) are the next line of therapy. The third-line treatment of OSA is surgery. Surgeries that have been used to treat OSA include septoplasty, tonsillectomy adenoidectomy, uvulopalatopharyngoplasty, mandibular advancement procedures, tongue reduction surgery, hyoid bone suspension, maxillofacial surgery, and bariatric procedures. There are scant data to support or compare the various procedures.
- obstructive sleep apnea
- OSA
- mandibular advancement device
- tongue retaining device
- septoplasty
- tonsillectomy adenoidectomy
- uvulopalatopharyngoplasty
- mandibular advancement procedures
- tongue reduction surgery
- hyoid bone suspension
- maxillofacial surgery
- bariatric surgery
Footnotes
- Correspondence: B Tucker Woodson MD, Division of Sleep Medicine, Department of Otolaryngology and Communication Sciences, Medical College of Wisconsin, 9200 W Wisconsin Avenue, Milwaukee WI 53226. E-mail: bwoodson{at}mcw.edu.
Dr Woodson presented a version of this paper at the 45th Respiratory Care Journal Conference, “Sleep Disorders: Diagnosis and Treatment,” held December 10-12, 2009, in San Antonio, Texas.
Dr Woodson has disclosed relationships with Medtronic, ENT, Inspire Medical, Johnson & Johnson, and ResMed.
- Copyright © 2010 by Daedalus Enterprises Inc.