Therapeutic effects of oral appliance combined with uvulopalatopharyngoplasty on obstructive sleep apnea hypopnea syndrome

Abstract

To explore the long-term effects of the uvulopalatopharyngoplasty (UPPP) combined with oral appliance (OA) in the treatment of obstructive sleep apnea hypopnea syndrome (OSAHS). Thirty patients with severe OSAHS confirmed by polysomnography (PSG) according to their apnea hypopnea index (AHI) and lowest SaO2 during sleep were selected using random permutation table and divided into only UPPP group(U group, n = 15) and UPPP with OA group (UA group, n = 15). The follow-up period was 2 years. PSG was performed in 0.5 year and 2 years after operation. AHI, lowest SaO2 and Tmax were tested and evaluated. The effectiveness of two groups was the same after 0.5 year. Two years after operation, the values [AHI: (18.06 ± 2.24) times/h; lowest SaO2: (88.64 ± 10.37)% and Tmax: (20.5 ± 17.6) s] in UA group were better than that [AHI: (49.73 ± 3.35) times/h; lowest SaO2: (79.56 ± 4.87)% and Tmax: (41.3 ± 19.7) s] in U group. The number of effectiveness was 9 and the number of ineffectiveness was 6 in U group, while in UA group, the number of effectiveness was 14 and the number of ineffectiveness was 1(P < 0.05). Long-term result of combined treatment was better than that of UPPP only.