Staged Surgical Treatment of Obstructive Sleep Apnea Syndrome: a Review of 35 Patients

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to investigate the success of a staged surgical reconstruction of the upper airway for treatment of obstructive sleep apnea syndrome.

Patients And Methods: Thirty-five patients with obstructive sleep apnea syndrome documented by nocturnal polysomnography were treated surgically with a staged protocol for reconstruction of the upper airway. All patients were evaluated preoperatively by a history and physical examination, including fiberoptic nasopharyngoscopy, oropharyngoscopy, and hypopharyngoscopy; cephalometric analysis; and laboratory polysomnography. All patients included were diagnosed with type II obstruction, with collapse at the oropharyngeal and hypopharyngeal levels. Stage I reconstruction consisted of uvulopalatopharyngoplasty (UPPP) by the Fujita method and anterior mandibular osteotomy (AMO) or inferior sagittal osteotomy (ISO) with genioglossus muscle advancement. If stage I was unsuccessful, patients were advanced to stage II and stage III, if necessary. Stage II reconstruction consisted of bimaxillary advancement with rigid fixation. Stage III reconstruction consisted of hyoid myotomy and advancement.

Results: All patients underwent follow-up nocturnal polysomnography 4 to 6 months after the last surgical procedure. Most patients responded positively to stage I reconstruction (respiratory disturbance index [RDI] < 20, with O2 saturation 95+%). Twenty-four patients (69%) had postoperative RDIs of 20 or less. Of these, 11 patients (31%) had an RDI of five or fewer; seven patients (20%) had an RDI between 6 and 10, and six patients (17%) had an RDI between 10 and 20. The mean preoperative RDI was 53, and the mean postoperative RDI was 19. Of the three patients who elected to proceed to stage II reconstruction, all had a postoperative RDI of 10 or less (two patients [67%] had an RDI of 5 or less, and one patient [33%] had an RDI of 6 to 10).

Conclusion: This study showed that properly selected patients with obstructive sleep apnea syndrome benefit from a staged reconstruction of the upper airway.