Surgical Treatments
Once the diagnosis of obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) is established, the patient should be always included in deciding an adequate treatment strategy. Behavioral measures, including weight loss when indicated, frequent exercise, avoidance of alcohol and sedative medication before bedtime is always useful.
Continuous positive airway pressure remains the primary treatment for most patients with obstructive sleep apnea, however some patients don’t accept or cannot tolerate CPAP, or have primarily correctable upper airway anatomic problems that can be causing the obstruction.
For these cases the advances in upper airway surgical techniques and improved patient selection can offer a definitive solution for OSA. In other cases surgery can be part of a comprehensive approach, improving the severity of obstructive sleep apnea and/or making the use of CPAP or oral appliances more tolerable. Surgery aims to reduce anatomical obstruction in the nose, throat, tongue, or more commonly, a combination of all to maximize airway improvement. In some cases, the facial bones are inadequately positioned, and a more extensive procedure may be necessary.
Obstructive Event
