Transoral endoscopic coblation tongue base surgery in obstructive sleep apnea; Resection versus Ablation

Abstract

Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) is a common serious social health problem that affects 2% to 4% of the adult population. The gold standard for diagnosis is polysomnography (PSG). Continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) remains the mainstay treatment despite low patient compliance. Surgical treatment is an important alternative option. Sleep endoscopy reveals that enlarged tongue base is an obstructive condition in many OSA cases. Multiple surgical measures aimed at reduction of tongue base hypertrophy. Recently, coblation is a relatively available and affordable technology for handling this disease category. In this study, the coblation technology was used at the level of tongue base, and resection was compared versus ablation.AIM OF THE WORKThe aim of the current study was to assess efficacy of transoral endoscopic coblation tongue base surgery in OSA patients and to compare resection versus ablation of tongue base hypertrophy.PATIENTSThe study included fifty patients with moderate to severe OSA, presented to the outpatient clinic at Otorhinolaryngology Department, Alexandria Main University Hospital, Alexandria, Egypt.