Lateral pharyngoplasty versus uvulopalatopharyngoplasty: a clinical, polysomnographic and computed tomography measurement comparison

Study Objective: To compare the lateral pharyngoplasty procedure with uvulopalatopharyngoplasty (UPPP) in the treatment of obstructive sleep apnea hypopnea syndrome (OSAHS). Design: Prospective randomized study. Setting: Academic tertiary center. Patients: Twenty-seven adults with OSAHS originally selected for treatment with UPPP. Interventions: Patients were randomly assigned to 2 groups: in one group, we performed the lateral pharyngoplasty (15 cases), and in the other, we did the UPPP (12 cases). Measurements and Results: We compared treatment outcomes through the evaluation of OSAHS-related symptoms and the analysis of polysomnographic tests and computed tomography measurements of pharyngeal airway. The lateral pharyngoplasty group achieved a statistically greater reduction in body weight, excessive daytime sleepiness, and apnea-hypopnea index. In addition, only in this group did we observe a statistically significant increase in the amount of deep sleep stages and improvement in morning headaches. Patients from the UPPP group did not present significant changes in the polysomnographic parameters. Pharyngeal airway measurement outcomes were similar in both groups and did not reflect the clinical and polysomnographic differences we observed. Conclusions: Lateral pharyngoplasty produces better clinical and polysomnographic outcomes in the treatment of OSAHS than does UPPP, without resultant differences in the cross-sectional measurements of the pharyngeal airway between these treatments.