Obstructive Sleep Apnea in Adults: The Role of Upper Airway and Facial Skeletal Surgery

Genioglossus Advancement: Technique Modification for Improved Chin Contour

Genioglossus advancement plays an important role in the armamentarium of the obstructive sleep apnea surgeon and has gone through many iterations over several decades. A recently described technique involves creating a box osteotomy, which is carried through the inferior border of the mandible in order to increase recruitment of the suprahyoid musculature. Here we introduce a further modification of the technique that uses virtual planning to improve the safety and accuracy of genial tubercle capture. In addition, angulation of the lateral osteotomies enhances bone to bone contact. Before the osteotomy, the surgeon has the opportunity to drill the buccal plate to reduce the chin profile. This approach is particularly valuable in the patient who is prognathic at baseline or who becomes prognathic after simultaneous maxillomandibular advancement. Here we discuss this unique approach, demonstrating how the patient profile may be balanced even as the genial tubercle is advanced.

Gender Differences in the Context of Obstructive Sleep Apnea and Metabolic Diseases

The relationship between obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) and endocrine and metabolic disease is unequivocal. OSA, which is characterized by intermittent hypoxia and sleep fragmentation, leads to and exacerbates obesity, metabolic syndrome, and type 2 diabetes (T2D) as well as endocrine disturbances, such as hypothyroidism and Cushing syndrome, among others. However, this relationship is bidirectional with endocrine and metabolic diseases being considered major risk factors for the development of OSA. For example, polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS), one of the most common endocrine disorders in women of reproductive age, is significantly associated with OSA in adult patients. Several factors have been postulated to contribute to or be critical in the genesis of dysmetabolic states in OSA including the increase in sympathetic activation, the deregulation of the hypothalamus-pituitary axis, the generation of reactive oxygen species (ROS), insulin resistance, alteration in adipokines levels, and inflammation of the adipose tissue. However, probably the alterations in the hypothalamus-pituitary axis and the altered secretion of hormones from the peripheral endocrine glands could play a major role in the gender differences in the link between OSA-dysmetabolism. In fact, normal sleep is also different between men and women due to the physiologic differences between genders, with sex hormones such as progesterone, androgens, and estrogens, being also connected with breathing pathologies. Moreover, it is very well known that OSA is more prevalent among men than women, however the prevalence in women increases after menopause. At the same time, the step-rise in obesity and its comorbidities goes along with mounting evidence of clinically important sex and gender differences. Metabolic and cardiovascular diseases, seen as a men's illness for decades, presently are more common in women than in men and obesity has a higher association with insulin-resistance-related risk factors in women than in men. In this way, in the present manuscript, we will review the major findings on the overall mechanisms that connect OSA and dysmetabolism giving special attention to the specific regulation of this relationship in each gender. We will also detail the gender-specific effects of hormone replacement therapies on metabolic control and sleep apnea.

Maxillomandibular Advancement and Upper Airway Stimulation: Extrapharyngeal Surgery for Obstructive Sleep Apnea

There are many ways to categorize surgery for obstructive sleep apnea (OSA), one of which is to distinguish between intrapharyngeal and extrapharyngeal procedures. While the general otolaryngologist treating OSA is familiar with intrapharyngeal procedures, such as uvulopalatopharyngoplasty and tongue base reduction, extrapharyngeal sleep operations such as maxillomandibular advancement (MMA) and upper airway stimulation (UAS) have evolved rapidly in the recent decade and deserve a dedicated review. MMA and UAS have both shown predictable high success rates with low morbidity. Each approach has unique strengths and limitations, and for the most complex of OSA patients, the two in combination complement each other. Extrapharyngeal airway operations are critical for achieving favorable outcomes for sleep surgeons.

[Progress of diagnosis and treatment of upper respiratory obstruction in patients with Treacher Collins syndrome]

Objective

To summarize the progress of diagnosis and treatment of upper respiratory obstruction in patients with Treacher Collins syndrome (TCS).

Methods

The domestic and abroad literature about the diagnosis and treatment of upper respiratory obstruction in patients with TCS was extensively reviewed and analyzed.

Results

TCS is an autosomal-dominant craniofacial developmental syndrome. It is often accompanied by midface and/or mandibular hypoplasia, soft tissue hypertrophy, and other respiratory tissue developmental abnormalities, which can lead to different degrees of upper respiratory obstruction symptoms. Respiratory obstruction in patients with TCS is affected by many factors, and the obstructive degree are different. Early detection of the causes and obstructive sites and adopted targeted treatments can relieve the symptoms of respiratory obstruction and avoid severe complications.

Conclusion

Due to the low incidence of TCS, there is still a lack of high-quality research evidence to guide clinical treatment. Large-scale and prospective clinical studies are needed to provide new ideas for the treatment and prevention of upper respiratory obstruction.

Mandibular positioning techniques to improve sleep quality in patients with obstructive sleep apnea: current perspectives

The purpose of this article is to review 1) mandibular advancement device (MAD) - indication, treatment success, and side effects; 2) maxillomandibular advancement (MMA) surgery of the jaws - indication, treatment success, and side effects; and 3) current perspectives. Both MAD and MMA are administered to increase the upper airway volume and reduce the collapsibility of the upper airway. MAD is noninvasive and is indicated as a first-stage treatment in adult patients with mild-to-moderate obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) and in patients with severe OSA unable to adhere to continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP). MAD remains inferior to CPAP in reducing the apnea-hypopnea index (AHI) with a treatment success ranging between 24% and 72%. However, patient compliance to MAD is greater, and with regard to subjective sleepiness and health outcomes, MAD and CPAP have been found to be similarly effective. Short-term side effects of MAD are minor and often transient. Long-term side effects primarily appear as changes in the dental occlusion related to decreases in overjet and overbite. MMA is efficacious but highly invasive and indicated as a second-stage treatment in patients with moderate-to-severe OSA, with prior failure to other treatment modalities or with craniofacial abnormalities. The surgical success and cure rates are found to be 86.0% and 43.2%, respectively. Side effects may appear as postsurgical complications such as temporary facial paresthesia and compromised facial esthetics. However, most patients report satisfaction with their postsurgical appearance. Both treatment modalities require experienced clinicians and multidisciplinary approaches in order to efficaciously treat OSA patients. Some researchers do propose possible predictors of treatment success, but clear patient selection criteria and clinical predictive values for treatment success are still needed in both treatment modalities.

Pediatric Obstructive Sleep Apnea: Consensus, Controversy, and Craniofacial Considerations

Pediatric obstructive sleep apnea, characterized by partial or complete obstruction of the upper airway during sleep, is associated with multiple adverse neurodevelopmental and cardiometabolic consequences. It is common in healthy children and occurs with a higher incidence among infants and children with craniofacial anomalies. Although soft-tissue hypertrophy is the most common cause, interplay between soft tissue and bone structure in children with craniofacial differences may also contribute to upper airway obstruction. Snoring and work of breathing are poor predictors of obstructive sleep apnea, and the gold standard for diagnosis is overnight polysomnography. Most healthy children respond favorably to adenotonsillectomy as first-line treatment, but 20 percent of children have obstructive sleep apnea refractory to adenotonsillectomy and may benefit from positive airway pressure, medical therapy, orthodontics, craniofacial surgery, or combined interventions. For children with impairment of facial skeletal growth or craniofacial anomalies, rapid maxillary expansion, midface distraction, and mandibular distraction have all been demonstrated to have therapeutic value and may significantly improve a child's respiratory status. This Special Topic article reviews current theories regarding the underlying pathophysiology of pediatric sleep apnea, summarizes standards for diagnosis and management, and discusses treatments in need of further investigation, including orthodontic and craniofacial interventions. To provide an overview of the spectrum of disease and treatment options available, a deliberately broad approach is taken that incorporates data for both healthy children and children with craniofacial anomalies.