Targeted surgery for obstructive sleep apnea

Aim: The aim of this study was to evaluate the effectiveness of surgical treatment in patients with obstructive sleep apnea (OSA). We would like to ascertain in our study whether the targeted and personalized surgical treatment of OSA can achieve similar effectiveness of surgical treatment in all degrees of severity of OSA. Methods: The retrospective study included 65 adult patients who had undergone the basic ear, nose and throat examination, multi-channel polygraphy confirming the diagnosis of OSA and subsequent surgical treatment: uvulopalatopharyngoplasty or radiofrequency-assisted uvulopalatoplasty, uvulaflap, in combination with or without radiofrequency induced thermotherapy at the base of the tongue, and subsequent control multichannel polygraphy at 3-12 months after surgery. Results: It was confirmed that postoperatively all groups of patients reported a statistically significant reduction in apnea/hypopnea index by 59% (P = 6.7x10(-12)) and reduction in desaturation by 57% (P = 3.2x10(-5)). The most effective surgical procedures were uvulopalatopharyngoplasty in combination with radiofrequency induced thermotherapy at the base of the tongue with the reduction of the apnea/hypopnea index by 59% (P = 1.8x10(9) and reduction of desaturation by 51% (P = 0.001), and uvulopalatopharyngoplasty with the reduction of the apnea/hypopnea index by 57% (P = 0.006) and reduction of desaturation by 85% (P = 0.07108). Conclusion: The surgical treatment of OSA shows very good effectiveness in all degrees of severity of OSA provided by the standardized diagnosis of the site of obstruction and when the surgical procedure is selected accordingly.