Relief of sleep apnea by revision of the adult upper airway. A review of clinical experience

Increase of the apnoea-hypopnoea index after uvulopalatopharyngoplasty: analysis of failure1

From 70 patients who had uvulopalatopharyngoplasty (UPPP) operation and a pre- and postoperative sleep registration, we could retrospectively determine the failures and the correlation between variables such as age, gender, body mass index (BMI), earlier or concomitant tonsillectomy, unilevel (uvula-palate-tonsil) or multilevel (base of tongue as well) obstruction during sleep endoscopy and treatment outcome. From 70 patients, the preoperative sleep registration classified 15 social unacceptable snorers and 55 obstructive sleep apnoea syndrome (OSAS) patients. In this study we focused on the OSAS patients. From the 55 OSAS patients, 32 were classified as successful after UPPP, because they had a decreased apnoea-hypopnoea index (AHI) after surgery (</=20). Eight patients had a decreased AHI, but more than 20 apnoeas/hypnoeas per hour. Fifteen patients were identified as UPPP failures with an equal or increased AHI and/or subjective deterioration of snoring. We were unable to find a statistically difference between the two groups with respect to variables such as age, BMI and AHI preoperative (P > 0.56) as between the level of obstruction(s) (P > 0.24). For earlier or concomitant tonsillectomy we found a statistically difference (P > 0.039), but a very small number in the high failure group (n = 8). We conclude that although sleep endoscopy adds to better patient selection and better results, paradoxically, the finding of obstruction on palate-uvula level during sleep endoscopy can still give UPPP failures.

The Effect of Surgical Treatment of Obstructive Sleep Apnea Syndrome on the Plasma TNF-.ALPHA. Levels

Obstructive sleep apnea syndrome (OSAS) is defined as intermittent complete or partial upper airway obstruction during sleep, causing mental and physical effects. Both the local and systemic inflammation observed in OSAS induce certain potent pro-inflammatory mediators, which may contribute to the development of cardiovascular consequences. The present study was designed to evaluate the plasma levels of TNF-alpha, which is one of the known pro-inflammatory cytokines, in patients with OSAS and to assess the effect of surgical treatment on the levels of TNF-alpha levels. Twenty seven patients diagnosed to have OSAS, 7 non-apneic patients with chronic tonsillitis (non-OSAS patients), and 4 healthy subjects were enrolled in this study. Blood samples were collected one week preoperatively and postoperatively, and the plasma TNF-alpha levels were measured using high-sensitivity ELISA. The plasma TNF-alpha levels in patients with OSAS were significantly elevated in comparison to normal healthy subjects. In contrast, there was no difference between the patients with non-OSAS and healthy subjects. Moreover, the surgical treatment to enlarge the upper airway in patients with OSAS significantly decreased the levels of TNF-alpha levels. Surgical treatment of patients with OSAS reduces the plasma TNF-alpha levels, thereby ameliorating the systemic inflammation and preventing the development of cardiovascular consequences.

Long-term follow-up of obstructive sleep apnea syndrome following surgery in children and adults

Obstructive sleep apnea syndrome (OSAS) is characterized by recurrent apneas during sleep, resulting in repetitive hypoxemia. The present study retrospectively analyzed subjective and objective assessments of the patients with OSAS in a relatively long-term follow-up. From February 1986 to August 1996, 53 patients received surgical treatment for OSAS and snoring. Thirty-seven (27 males and 10 females) out of 53 patients completed the questionnaire and postoperative sleep study was obtained in 6 patients. In 20 children (<15 years), snoring, sleep apnea, and daytime sleepiness completely disappeared in 12, 19, and 16, and improved in 8, 1, and 4, respectively. These findings confirm that tonsillectomy and/or adenoidectomy in children may be the first selection for treatment. In 17 adults, snoring, sleep apnea, and daytime sleepiness completely disappeared in 2, 5, and 8, improved in 11, 8, and 7, and was unchanged in 4, 4, and 1, respectively. The apnea index in adults was significantly decreased in both early and late postoperative periods. These results suggest that surgery is a satisfactory alternative for adult patients if performed accurate preoperative diagnosis of the localization of the airway collapse and careful long-term follow-up.

Role of the external nasal dilator in the management of nasal obstruction

The aim of this study is to evaluate the effect of an external nasal dilator in patients with nasal obstruction secondary to mucosal congestion (n = 33) or to septal deviation in the nasal valve area (n = 28). A group of subjects with healthy nasal cavities was tested also (n = 51). Acoustic rhinometric and rhinomanometric nasal measurements were performed with and without the dilator and before and after topical decongestion of the nasal mucosa. A visual analog scale was employed to evaluate the subjective sensation of nasal obstruction. Objective measurements showed that the external dilator increased the minimum cross-sectional area and decreased the nasal resistance significantly in all three groups (P < 0.01). The effect was more impressive in patients with septal deviation (P < 0.001). Subjective assessments reflected patency in all subjects except those in the mucosal swelling group (P = 0.06). From this study the authors conclude that the external nasal dilator offers an effective, nonsurgical therapeutic approach in the management of septal deviation that obstructs the nasal valve area. Although patients with nasal obstruction secondary to mucosal congestion showed objective improvement with the nasal dilator, these changes were not accompanied by a sensation of enhanced patency.

Respiration in NREM and REM sleep after upper airway surgery for obstructive sleep apnoea

To verify whether upper airway surgery in obstructive sleep apnoea syndrome affects differently respiration in NREM and REM sleep, 22 patients were studied by polysomnography before and three months after surgical treatment. On the average, treatment improved respiration during both sleep states, but no significant interaction was found between sleep state and effect of surgical treatment. According to the response to treatment, three groups of patients were identified: the first group (N = 6), with an improvement in apnoea-hypopnoea index (AHI), percentage of sleep time spent in apnoea and hypopnoea (time in AH) and mean oxyhaemoglobin saturation (SaO2) in both NREM and REM sleep; the second group (N = 5), with an improvement in AHI only in NREM sleep, associated with improvement in mean SaO2 in both sleep states; the third group (N = 11), without any improvement in AHI and time in AH, either associated (N = 5) or not (N = 6) with an improvement in mean SaO2 in both sleep states. An increase in the percentage of hypopnoeas out of the total AHI after treatment could partly account for the apparent discrepancy between AHI and mean SaO2 behaviour in the subjects of the second group, but not in the patients of the third group who improved their mean SaO2. Mixed apnoeas occurred before surgery in six subjects; they remained numerous after surgery only in two subjects who did not show any SaO2 improvement. In conclusion, the degree of improvement in respiration after upper airway surgery was similar in every patient in NREM and REM sleep.

Clinical features as diagnostic guides in obstructive sleep apnea

Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) may induce psychiatric problems, but clinical risk factors do not reliably predict laboratory-verified OSA. Therefore, OSA diagnosis requires laboratory sleep monitoring. To find additional clinical features that would sharpen indications for sleep monitoring, we applied univariate analyses to clinical data for 137 OSA patients seen in a psychiatry sleep clinic. A symptomatology questionnaire was obtained from 101 of these patients: 71 had morning and 86 had afternoon vigilance tests, and all had upper-airway evaluation and polysomnography. Cigarette consumption but no other clinical features differed among OSA severity groups and total sleep period groups; upper-airway findings differed among vigilance groups. Multidiscriminant clinical predictor terms categorized several patients with severe OSA into less severe OSA categories. Clinical features did not accurately predict OSA. OSA will continue to be identified primarily by sleep laboratory testing. A two-phase laboratory routine, reserving full laboratory testing for patients with negative results on initial, less expensive screening tests, might conserve resources.

Uvulopalatopharyngoplasty for treatment of obstructive sleep apnea

Currently, uvulopalatopharyngoplasty (UPPP) is the most common surgical procedure used for the treatment of obstructive sleep apnea. Patients with clinically significant obstructive sleep apnea in whom medical treatment has failed or who are unwilling to comply with medical therapy are considered candidates for UPPP. The initial surgical results obtained in nonselected patients with obstructive sleep apnea were highly variable, approximately half of the patients experiencing more than a 50% reduction in the frequency of disordered breathing events postoperatively. Although differences in surgical technique likely account for some of the variability, preoperative differences in the site (or sites) of upper airway collapse are also thought to influence the surgical results. Because UPPP involves resection of the uvula, distal margin of the soft palate, palatine tonsils, and any excessive lateral pharyngeal tissue, patients with anatomic narrowing and collapse confined to the velopharyngeal or retropalatal region of the upper airway are considered optimal surgical candidates. Fiberoptic pharyngoscopy, cephalometric roentgenography, computed tomography, and somnofluoroscopy are procedures that can be used preoperatively to help select optimal candidates for UPPP. The results suggest that the success rate of UPPP can approach 66% with careful preoperative selection of patients.