Sleep Apnea Surgery Options and Risks

Sleep Apnea Surgery Options and Risks

If standard treatment for obstructive sleep apnea fails, then the next step forward is sleep apnea surgery.

There are a number of surgery options available to sleep apnea sufferers, but you should most definitely consult your doctor to discuss the best option available to you as an individual.

The current five options available are;

• Uvulopalatopharyngoplasty – This removes excess tissue from the throat, allowing a wider passage for air to pass. This is the most popular sleep apnea surgery in adults.
• Tonsillectomy and/or adenoidectomy – This involves completely removing the tonsils and/or the adenoids. If these organs are comparatively large with other people in your age bracket, then this can cause restricted airflow during sleep. In children, this is the most typical treatment.
• Tracheostomy – This is the last option which should be considered, as it does come with potential complications. The treatment makes an incision in the windpipe, in which a tube is placed to allow air in. The treatment can lead to other health problems, though the vast majority of sleep apnea sufferers who have undergone this particular surgery have been cured.
• Bariatric surgery – This form of treatment relates to weight loss. For those who are excessively overweight, with their sleep apnea worsening as a result, weight loss surgery is an option. Weight loss has been positively linked to a reduction in sleep apnea symptoms.
• Other – Other surgery techniques used involve ways to repair bone and tissue, in both the throat and mouth.

Issues to Consider Before Sleep Apnea Surgery

Before deciding on sleep apnea surgery, consult your doctor, who will typically conduct a sleep study beforehand. Experts in this area advise trying Continuous Positive Airway Pressure (CPAP), before contemplating surgery. CPAP is a machine which increases air pressure inside the throat, preventing tissues collapsing inside the throat whilst breathing.

There are a number of issues relating to uvulopalatopharyngoplasty (UPPP) in particular.

• There is no distinct evidence of how successful UPPP is in improving the symptoms of sleep apnea.
• Sleep apnea episodes may remain, despite snoring clearing.
• Research suggests that between 40 and 60 percent of people who have had this form of surgery, have noticed an improvement in their own symptoms.
• Other forms of treatment may still be required, such as CPAP, following surgery.
• Continuous sleep studies will have to be kept, to ensure apnea episodes do not remain, or return at a later date.
• UPPP is not typically used to treat children suffering from sleep apnea.

Tracheostomy is used as a last resort, when all other possible remedies have been exhausted. This can include maxillofacial reconstruction, a process in which bones within the face are adjusted, especially around the tongue, to create traction on the base which opens up the airway. This commonly requires multiple surgery visits.

Laser-assisted uvulopalatoplasty is sometimes used to treat mild or moderate sleep apnea, but having not proved successful to every patient, is not approved by the American Academy of Sleep Medicine as a viable form of sleep apnea treatment.

Sleep apnea surgery has its risks, but assessing the number of sleep apnea surgery options available should indentify the best option for you.