Surgery could benefit patients with apnoea who reject CPAP
Australian surgeons have developed a novel procedure to decrease throat obstruction
This article has been updated to more fully describe the procedure.
An Australian surgical technique could be an alternative for patients with moderate to severe obstructive sleep apnoea (OSA) who cannot tolerate CPAP, a preliminary study suggests.
A trial of 102 patients who refused or failed CPAP or oral devices found the procedure to clear the airway reduced apnoea and hypopnoea events and self-reported daytime sleepiness.
The tandem procedure involved a modified uvulopalatopharyngoplasty plus 7-9 submucosal insertions of a radiofrequency-in-saline wand to reduce tongue volume.
