Hypopharyngeal Approaches to Obstructive Sleep Apnea

The improvements result from enhancement of the tension of the pharyngeal wall, which increases airway stability, and stabilization of the velum, which lessens the collapse. In fact, he said, patients with concentric collapse of the soft palate and a “severe lateral pharyngeal wall collapse” should probably move straight to an MMA procedure. Afterward, these patients can still go back for other procedures, such as tongue base reduction.

“The playbook is wide open,” he added. “It’s just how we decide that treatment-planning tree.”

Thomas Collins is a freelance medical writer based in Florida.

Take-Home points

  • Better methods are needed to identify the site of OSA.
  • Radiofrequency tongue reduction can be an effective treatment, but not for patients with multiple severe contributing factors.
  • TORS for tongue reduction can produce dramatic improvements in AHI, especially in patients with no prior surgery.
  • Endoscopic coblation tongue base resection is an effective option for more severe cases.
  • A neuromuscular component exists in OSA and epiglottis collapse.