Premium
Uvulopalatal flap for obstructive sleep apnea: Short‐term and long‐term results
Author(s) -
Neruntarat Chairat
Publication year - 2011
Publication title -
the laryngoscope
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.181
H-Index - 148
eISSN - 1531-4995
pISSN - 0023-852X
DOI - 10.1002/lary.21157
Subject(s) - medicine , obstructive sleep apnea , body mass index , apnea , prospective cohort study , tertiary referral hospital , surgery , anesthesia , retrospective cohort study
Objective: To study long‐term results in patients undergoing uvulopalatal flap (UPF) for obstructive sleep apnea (OSA). Design: Prospective, clinical trial at tertiary referral center. Material and Methods: A study was undertaken on 83 OSA patients with palatal obstruction based on radiography and physical findings. UPF was conducted to increase the airway space and data were analyzed. Results: Patients had a mean age of 36.5 ± 12.3 years and a mean body mass index (BMI) of 29.4 ± 4.3 kg/m 2 . The mean follow‐up was 54.2 ± 8.9 months, with a range of 48 to 62 months. The mean baseline apnea‐hypopnea index (AHI), short‐term AHI, and long‐term AHI were 45.6 ± 10.3, 13.4 ± 5.2, and 19.4 ± 5.1, respectively. The mean baseline lowest oxygen saturation (LSAT), short‐term LSAT, and long‐term LSAT were 82.6 ± 5.4%, 89.2 ± 4.8%, and 88.1 ± 3.2%, respectively. Forty‐three patients (51.8%) had long‐term success, and 15 patients(25.8%) had an increase in the AHI over the follow‐up period such that they were no longer considered success by traditional AHI criteria. Serious complications were not encountered. Conclusions: UPF is a safe and effective procedure that results in long‐term success for OSA. However, a regular follow‐up is important because some patients will relapse in the long term. Laryngoscope, 2011