For refractory obstructive sleep apnea, surgery may be effective

Reuters Health - 05/09/2020 - In adults with moderate or severe obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) in whom conventional therapy fails, combined palatal and tongue surgery may help reduce the number of apnea and hypopnea events, as well as patient-reported daytime sleepiness, a new study suggests. In a preliminary study of nearly 100 adults who were randomized to receive either medical management or modified uvulopalatopharyngoplasty and radiofrequency tongue reduction, the number of apnea and hypopnea events per hour were cut by nearly half, while the medical management saw a decline of less than a quarter, according to the report published in JAMA to coincide with a presentation at the virtual European Respiratory Society Congress. For the many patients who have difficulty with continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP), "this trial shows that surgery is a good alternative," said lead author Dr. Stuart MacKay of the University of Wollongong and Illawarra Head & Neck...

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Posted on 5 September, 20208 September, 2020