Auditory function after uvulopalatopharyngoplasty in adult patients with severe obstructive sleep apnea-hypopnea syndrome

Abstract

Objective To investigate the changes of uvulopalatopharyngoplasty on the auditory function in adult patients with severe obstructive sleep apnea-hypopnea syndrome (OSAHS).The possible mechanism of hypoxemia was analyzed,and hypercapnia might affect auditory function and the effect of operation to hearing was improved.Methods A total of 82 adult patients who were made a diagnosis by polysomnography (PSG) with severe OSAHS had been diagnosed by pure tone audiometry,tympa-nometry,auditory brainstem responses (ABR),and otoacoustic emissions (OAE) before and 6 months after surgical treatments.The control group included 43 non-snoring healthy people through the same line of the above test.Results (1)Among 82 patients who underwent uvulopalatopharyngoplasty,symptoms were resolved in 51 patients,significantly improved in 24 patients,and somewhat improved in7 patients at 6 months followed-up,yielding a total effective rate of 100％.(2)There were no significant differences in hearing threshold across 250 to 4 000 Hz on pure tone audiometry between OSAHS and control groups (P ＞ 0.05),although hearing thresholds at high frequencies showed significant differences (P ＜ 0.05).(3)The latencies of ABR waves Ⅰ and Ⅴ in the OSAHS group were significantly longer than control group (P ＜ 0.05).The interpeak lantency intervals of wave Ⅲ ～ Ⅴ in patients with OSAHS were longer than that in the control group (P ＜ 0.05).No significant difference was showed before and after surgery (P ＞ 0.05).(4)Distortion product otoacoustic emission (DPOAE) detection rate and amplitudes at all frequencies were poorer in OSAHS group before surgery compared with the control group (P ＜ 0.05),and significant changes were found after surgical treatments (P ＜ 0.05).Conclusions OSAHS can impair auditory function,probably from chronic hypoxia,which can be improved by surgical treatment in adult patients with severe OSAHS. Key words: Sleep apnea, obstructive/surgery ; Uvula/surgery; Pharynx/surgery ; Palate/surgery; Hearing tests; Audiometry, pure-tone; Otoacoustic emissions, spontaneous; Evoked potentials, auditory, brain stem