Abstract

Objective: 55 patients diagnosed as having obstructive sleep apnea syndrome (OSAS) underwent uvulopalatopharyngoplasty (UPPP). The effects of surgery were studied based on the findings of endoscopic examination under drug-induced sleep and AHI measurements performed before and after the operation. Changes in airway form during sleep were observed, and the usefulness of upper airway endoscopy in the diagnosis and surgical treatment of OSAS was studied.Methods: The site of airway obstruction during sleep induced by intravenous injection of 10mg of diazepam was classified into five types, and changes in AHI and the site of airway obstruction were compared before and after surgery.Results: The postoperative improvement rate was 73.5% in the soft palate type of obstruction, 75.6% in the tonsillar type, 52.3% in the full-circumference palatal type and 32.3% in the mixed type. Surgical treatment by UPPP had an excellent or good effect on the soft palate and tonsillar types. However, many patients with the ful1-circumference palatal type and the mixed type showed less improvement compared with the soft palate and tonsillar type.Conclusion: In the full-circumference palatal type and the mixed type, improvement can be expected following operations which include surgical treatment of the posterior pharyngeal wall or the lateral funiculus, or midline laser glossectomy.

Full Text
Published version (Free)

Talk to us

Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have

Schedule a call