Surgical Treatment of obstructive sleep apnea

Introduction:Sleep-disordered breathing (SDB) is a relatively com¬mon medical problem. It consists of a spectrum ranging from apnea to hypopnea to the upper airway resistance syndrome (UARS). Obstructive apnea refers to the temporary cessation of airflow during sleep for 10 seconds or more despite continuing ventilatory effort, whereas hypopnea means reduction of 30% to 50% in airflow for 10 seconds or more. Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA), the most widely known disorder in the category, affects 2% to 4% of middle-aged adults. It is well documented that OSA is associated with and can aggravate many medical illnesses: It is associated with systemic hyperten¬sion, pulmonary hypertension, cardiac arrhythmia, ischemic heart disease and stroke. OSA patients with an apnea index (AI) of more than 20 have increased mortality. Once the diagnosis of an obstructive sleep disorder is confirmed and the patient meets the aforementioned criteria required to receive therapy, appropriate treatment should be started. The treatment of obstructive sleep disorders can be divided into general measures and specific therapy. The general measures should be applied to all patients, whereas the spe¬cific therapy should be tailored to each patient individually.Objective:This study aimed to evaluate the various surgical procedures for the treatment of obstructive sleep apnea and to compare the short and long term results of them.Conclusion:In summary, in the absence of a correctable anatomic problem, sur¬gery should be considered only in patients who fail CPAP or in whom CPAP is not an option. Patients who undergo surgery need close follow-up to document objective improvement. Some patients may need both CPAP and surgery to overcome the obstructive events.