Surgical outcomes of overlapping lateral pharyngoplasty with or without coblator tongue base resection for obstructive sleep apnea

Outcomes and Predictors of Success Following Multilevel Surgery in Positional and Nonpositional Obstructive Sleep Apnea

OBJECTIVE

To assess the surgical outcomes and identify predictors of surgical success in patients with positional and non-positional obstructive sleep apnea following multilevel airway surgery.

STUDY DESIGN

Retrospective cohort study.

SETTING

Singe-tertiary medical center.

METHODS

This study included 158 patients with obstructive sleep apnea who underwent multilevel airway surgery. Patients were divided into 2 groups according to position dependency: "positional patients" group (n = 100), and "nonpositional patients" group (n = 58). The characteristics and surgical outcomes of the 2 groups were compared.

RESULTS

The nonpositional group included younger and more obese patients in comparison to the positional group. Moreover, the nonpositional group had more severe disease than the positional group. Both groups showed overall improvement after surgery, and the surgical success rate did not differ significantly between the 2 groups (nonpositional, 41.4% vs positional, 48.0%; P = .424). Notably, 69.0% of patients belonging to the non-positional group converted to positional group postoperatively. Logistic regression analysis revealed that larger tonsil size, female sex, and higher mean O2 saturation were associated with higher success rate in the positional group, whereas larger tonsil size was associated with surgical success in the nonpositional group.

CONCLUSION

Both nonpositional and positional groups showed improvements following multilevel airway surgery, and surgery induced a transition from nonpositional to positional group. Given that the factors related to surgical success differed between the two groups, surgeons should consider position dependency and these distinct factors during decision-making.

Comparison of clinical features and surgical outcomes between hypopnea- and apnea-predominant obstructive sleep apnea

OBJECTIVES

This study is aimed to investigate the differences in the clinical features and surgical outcomes between hypopnea- and apnea-predominant obstructive sleep apnea (OSA).

DESIGN

Cohort study.

SETTING

Single tertiary care centre.

PARTICIPANTS

This study included 190 patients with OSA who underwent multilevel upper airway surgery between September 2012 and September 2021. The patients were divided into two groups according to the proportion of each respiratory event: hypopnea-predominant (n = 102) and apnea-predominant (n = 88).

MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES

The primary outcome measure was the percentage improvement in the apnea-hypopnea index (AHI) from baseline AHI after surgery.

RESULTS

The apnea-predominant group included more male patients and had higher AHI, respiratory disturbance index (RDI) and oxygen desaturation index (ODI) than the hypopnea-predominant group. Both groups showed significant improvements in AHI, apnea index, RDI, supine AHI, REM AHI, non-REM AHI, ODI, lowest O₂ saturation and Epworth Sleepiness Scale scores following the surgery. Notably, hypopnea index increased after surgery in the apnea-predominant OSA group. Although the improvement in the absolute value of AHI by surgery was significantly greater in the apnea-predominant group than in the hypopnea-predominant group, the two groups showed no significant difference in the percentage improvement in AHI from baseline AHI.

CONCLUSION

Patients with apnea-predominant OSA had more severe disease than those with hypopnea-predominant OSA; however, surgical outcomes, as evaluated by percentage AHI improvement, were comparable between the two groups. In addition, multilevel upper airway surgery may induce the transition from apnea to hypopnea in patients with apnea-predominant OSA.

Clinical Characteristics and Surgical Outcomes of Obstructive Sleep Apnea Patients With Mixed Apnea Components

OBJECTIVE

This study was aimed to investigate clinical implications of mixed apnea (MA) in patients with obstructive sleep apnea (OSA), particularly whether surgical outcomes differ between OSA patients with and without MA events.

STUDY DESIGN

Retrospective cohort study.

SETTING

Single tertiary medical center.

METHODS

Eighty-eight patients with OSA who underwent multilevel upper airway surgery were included. Patients were divided into 2 groups according to the presence of MA events: "pure group" (n = 30) and "mixed group" (n = 58). The clinical characteristics and surgical outcomes were compared between the 2 groups.

RESULTS

The mixed group included more males (P = .020) and hypertensive patients (P = .009) and had a higher apnea-hypopnea index (AHI; P < .001) than the pure group. The surgical success rate was lower in the mixed group (29.3%) than in the pure group (73.3%; P < .001). Furthermore, the postoperative improvements in total AHI (P < .001), supine AHI (P < .001), and oxygen desaturation index (P = .006) were lower in the mixed group than in the pure group. Logistic regression analysis confirmed that the presence of MA (P = .002) was an independent predictor of poor surgical outcomes in patients with OSA.

CONCLUSION

OSA patients with MA showed different clinical features and poor surgical outcomes compared to those without MA. These results imply that OSA with MA components may have a distinct pathophysiology, and the presence of MA should be considered in the surgical treatment of OSA.

Referral of adults with obstructive sleep apnea for surgical consultation: an American Academy of Sleep Medicine systematic review, meta-analysis, and GRADE assessment

INTRODUCTION

This systematic review provides supporting evidence for the accompanying clinical practice guideline on the referral of adults with obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) for surgical consultation.

METHODS

The American Academy of Sleep Medicine commissioned a task force of experts in sleep medicine. A systematic review was conducted to identify studies that compared the use of upper airway sleep apnea surgery or bariatric surgery to no treatment as well as studies that reported on patient-important and physiologic outcomes pre- and postoperatively. Statistical analyses were performed to determine the clinical significance of using surgery to treat obstructive sleep apnea in adults. Finally, the Grading of Recommendations Assessment, Development and Evaluation (GRADE) process was used to assess the evidence for making recommendations.

RESULTS

The literature search resulted in 274 studies that provided data suitable for statistical analyses. The analyses demonstrated that surgery as a rescue therapy results in a clinically significant reduction in excessive sleepiness, snoring, blood pressure (BP), apnea-hypopnea index (AHI), respiratory disturbance index (RDI), and oxygen desaturation index (ODI); an increase in lowest oxygen saturation (LSAT) and sleep quality; and an improvement in quality of life in adults with OSA who are intolerant or unaccepting of positive airway pressure (PAP) therapy. The analyses demonstrated that surgery as an adjunctive therapy results in a clinically significant reduction in optimal PAP pressure and improvement in PAP adherence in adults with OSA who are intolerant or unaccepting of PAP due to side effects associated with high pressure requirements. The analyses also demonstrated that surgery as an initial treatment results in a clinically significant reduction in AHI/RDI, sleepiness, snoring, BP, and ODI and an increase in LSAT in adults with OSA and major anatomical obstruction. Analysis of bariatric surgery data showed a clinically significant reduction in BP, AHI/RDI, sleepiness, snoring, optimal PAP level, BMI, and ODI and an increase in LSAT in adults with OSA and obesity. Analyses of very limited evidence suggested that upper airway surgery does not result in a clinically significant increase in risk of serious persistent adverse events and suggested that bariatric surgery may result in a clinically significant risk of iron malabsorption that may be managed with iron supplements. The task force provided a detailed summary of the evidence along with the quality of evidence, the balance of benefits and harms, patient values and preferences, and resource use considerations.

CITATION

Kent D, Stanley J, Aurora RN, et al. Referral of adults with obstructive sleep apnea for surgical consultation: an American Academy of Sleep Medicine systematic review, meta-analysis, and GRADE assessment. J Clin Sleep Med. 2021;17(12):2507-2531.

Efficacy, predictors of success and failure of an updated lateral pharyngoplasty approach as an independent procedure in treating obstructive sleep apnea with CPAP failures

PURPOSE

To assess predictors of success and failure of an updated lateral pharyngoplasty as an independent procedure in treating obstructive sleep apnea with CPAP failures.

METHODS

Forty-six patients with known OSAS who were resistant to CPAP or failures were included. BMI, Stop-Bang score, and sleep study data were recorded before and after the updated Cahali pharyngoplasty procedure. Pre-operative DISE was done for all cases; however, postoperative DISE was done only for non-responders.

RESULTS

Successful operation outcomes achieved in 69.6% (32 cases) and 30.4% (14 cases) were failure rates. Postoperative snoring index, Stop Bang score, and AHI were significantly decreased compared to pre-operative data (p value < 0.001). There is statistically a significant increase in minimal and baseline SpO₂ postoperatively (p value < 0.001). Patients with no laryngeal collapse (L0) predict operation success. However, patients with high pre-operative snoring index, collapse at lateral wall hypopharynx, high tongue collapse, laryngeal collapse, tongue palate interaction, and low grades tonsils (1, 2) predict the failure of the surgery (p value = 0.006*,0.024*,0.047*, respectively).

CONCLUSION

Updated Cahali lateral pharyngoplasty could not be used as an independent procedure in all OSA patients. The lack of laryngeal collapse (L0) is a considerable success predictor for the procedure. However, the pre-operative low-grade tonsils (1, 2) and high snoring index predict operation failure.

Outcomes of multilevel upper airway surgery, including tongue base resection, in patients with torus mandibularis

By affecting the tongue position and oropharyngeal airway volume, torus mandibularis is an anatomical factor associated with obstructive sleep apnea (OSA). This study aimed to investigate the influence of torus mandibularis on the surgical outcomes of multilevel upper airway surgery with tongue base resection (TBR) in patients with OSA. Patients with OSA who underwent palatal surgery and TBR were retrospectively analyzed. The patients were divided into two groups according to the presence or absence of torus mandibularis upon physical examination or on computed tomography images. The anatomical characteristics of the upper airway and pre/postoperative polysomnography were analyzed. The control and torus mandibularis groups comprised 69 and 35 patients, respectively, with all of them showing improved sleep quality after surgery. Apnea-hypopnea index (AHI) scores decreased from 42.1 ± 22.2 preoperatively to 23.9 ± 21.4 postoperatively in the control group (p < 0.001), and from 45.2 ± 19.9 to 22.5 ± 13.5 in the torus mandibularis group (p < 0.001). Comparing the postoperative changes in AHI, the AHI of the torus mandibularis group improved by 22.7 ± 23.4, whereas that of the control group improved by 18.1 ± 19.6 (p = 0.296). Sleep efficiency improved from 90.0 ± 7.5 to 92.8 ± 6.8 in the control group, and from 90.3 ± 8.7 to 93.6 ± 6.5 in the torus mandibularis group; however, there was no statistical difference between the two groups (p = 0.816). The presence of torus mandibularis did not appear to significantly affect the surgical results in OSA patients, but it did elicit significant changes in polysomnographic parameters compared with the control group. Therefore, following the identification of torus mandibularis in OSA patients, TBR should be considered as part of planning, as it may help to predict surgical outcomes.

Managing obstructive sleep apnea patients with CPAP failure with a novel Lateral Pharyngoplasty as a stand-alone procedure

BACKGROUND

Obstructive sleep apnea syndrome (OSAS) is caused by a complete or partial obstruction of the upper airway. A new Cahali lateral pharyngoplasty as a stand-alone procedure for the treatment of OSA patients, whatever the level and pattern of airway obstruction in patients with CPAP failure or non-compliant patients, is it?

PATIENTS AND METHODS

40 patients with known OSAS non-compliant with CPAP or CPAP failures included. BMI, Stop-Bang score, and sleep study parameters were reported before and after the new Cahali pharyngoplasty operation. Preoperative DISE was done for all cases.

RESULTS

There were 28 (70%) cases with successful operation outcomes, and 12 (30%) failed cases. Postoperative Stop Bang score, AHI, snoring index were significantly reduced in comparison to preoperative data (p-value <0.001); however, minimal SpO₂ and baseline SpO₂ were significantly increased in comparison to preoperative data. There was a significant improvement in AHI postoperative. Patients collapse at the level of lateral wall hypopharynx, high tongue collapse, laryngeal collapse, tongue palate interaction, all significantly predict failure outcome of the operation (p-value = 0.022). However, the absence of laryngeal collapse (L0) had a successful prediction outcome. The high snoring index significantly predicts operation failure. However, preoperative high baseline SpO₂ predicts operation success significantly.

CONCLUSION

The new Cahali lateral pharyngoplasty can be used as a stand-alone procedure in the absence of lateral wall collapse at the level of the hypopharynx (LH), high tongue base collapse (TH), laryngeal collapse (L1) or tongue palate interaction.

Can drug-induced sleep endoscopy improve the success rates of tongue base surgery?

Background

The purpose of this study was to determine the therapeutic value of drug-induced sleep endoscopy (DISE) by comparing the outcomes of tongue base surgery based on Muller’s maneuver (MM) and those based on DISE in obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) patients.

Methods

Ninety-five patients who underwent the tongue base surgery in combination with palatal surgery for OSA at a tertiary referral hospital between March 2012 and March 2019 were enrolled in this retrospective comparative study. Forty-seven patients underwent MM for surgical decision and 48 patients underwent DISE in addition to MM for surgical decision. Surgical success was defined according to the Sher criteria (postoperative apnea-hypopnea index [AHI] < 20/h and ≥ 50% reduction in preoperative AHI), and AHI improvement (%) was defined as (preoperative AHI-postoperative AHI) × 100/preoperative AHI. For comparison between the MM and DISE groups, p-values were calculated using independent or paired t-tests for continuous variables and using chi-square test for categorical variables.

Results

By comparing the results of MM and DISE, consensus on the tongue base level showed insignificant concordance (kappa = 0.017, p = 0.865), whereas that on the oropharynx level showed fair agreement (kappa =0.241, p = 0.005). AHI, supine AHI, rapid eyeball movement (REM) AHI, non-REM AHI, and nadir oxygen saturation were all significantly improved after the tongue base surgery in both groups. The MM group showed a significant improvement in the Epworth sleepiness scale after the tongue base surgery (p = 0.014), whereas the DISE group did not (p = 0.165). However, there was no significant difference in the AHI improvement (MM group = 47.0 ± 32.0, DISE group = 48.3 ± 35.4, p = 0.852) and surgical success (MM group = 42.6%, DISE group = 45.8%, p = 0.748) between the groups. Tonsil grade (p < 0.05) and occlusion at the oropharynx lateral wall (p = 0.031) were significantly related to surgical success in the MM group.

Conclusions

In the judgment of the tongue base surgery, MM and DISE findings showed poor agreement. DISE might affect the surgical decision on the tongue base surgery in OSA patients; however, there was a lack of evidence regarding the superiority of DISE over MM with respect to the surgical outcomes.