Transoral robotic surgery for the management of obstructive sleep apnea: a systematic review and meta-analysis

Obstructive sleep apnea-hypopnea syndrome (OSAHS) is a serious social health problem with significant implications on quality of life. Surgery for OSAHS has been criticized due to a lack of evidence to support its efficacy as well as the heterogeneous reporting of published outcomes. Moreover, the transoral robotic surgery (TORS) in the management of OSAHS is still in a relative infancy. Nevertheless, a review and meta-analysis of the published articles may be helpful. Among 195 articles, eight studies were included in the analysis. The mean of enrolled patients was 102.5 +/- 107.9 (range 6-289) comprising a total of 820 cases. The mean age was 49 +/- 3.27 and 285 patients underwent a previous sleep apnea surgery. The uvulopalatopharyngoplasty (UPPP) was the most common palatal procedure. The mean rate of failure was 34.4 % (29.5-46.2 %). Complications occurred in 21.3 % of the patients included in the analysis, most of them were classified as minor. Transient dysphagia represented the most common complication (7.2 %) followed by bleeding (4.2 %). TORS for the treatment of OSAHS appears to be a promising and safe procedure for selected patients seeking an alternative to continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP), although further researches are urgently needed.