The Sleep Apnea Surgery Process

Prior to your procedure, you will need to schedule a consultation with one of our skilled professionals, during which we will discuss what issues you would like to address. Following this conversation, an evaluation will be performed to determine what options are available to you and which approach best aligns with your specific goals.

Obstruction can occur in a variety of areas, including the throat, tongue, and nose. The following are the most common surgical procedures that are performed to address these areas of obstruction.

• Nasal surgery: Daytime and nocturnal nasal obstruction are significant risk factors for sleep-disordered breathing. As such, treating nasal obstruction is one of the more common approaches to addressing sleep apnea. Turbinate reduction and septoplasty is the most common procedures performed, which involves straightening the septum and reducing the turbinates, thereby creating more room for air to pass through the nose. Patients who have nasal valve collapse will have a procedure that involves strategically placing the cartridge to prevent collapse from occurring and to strengthen the valve.
• UPPP: The most common surgical procedure for sleep apnea, this procedure involves removing the soft tissue from the pharynx and soft palate. If the patient’s tonsils are still present, they will also have to be removed. Once this tissue has been removed, sutures are used to prevent the area from collapsing. The upper airway (oropharynx) is where the obstruction most commonly occurs. Patients who have this procedure will need to spend one night in the hospital. It is common for patients to continue experiencing post-operative pain or discomfort up to one week.
• Pillar Procedure: A minimally invasive approach that is typically performed for patients with milder cases of sleep apnea. This procedure involves placing three rods in the soft palate, which creates an inflammatory response and causes the palate to stiffen. In doing so, the palate is less likely to touch the pharynx when the muscles relax as the patient enters deep sleep.
• Hyoid advancement: A minimally invasive procedure that repositions the hyoid bone (a small bone where the pharynx and tongue base muscles attach) to suspend to the front of the jaw bone, which expands the airway and prevents collapse from occurring.
• Tongue advancement: Procedure that advances the genioglossus muscle forward by making a cut in the jaw bone, moving the bone with the muscle attached forward, and then fixing the bone in place with a titanium plate. This procedure has a high success rate, but is more invasive than the hyoid advancement and will require an overnight stay in the hospital.
• Tongue base reduction: Because the base of tongue is a common site of obstruction, reducing tissue in this area can be effective in treating sleep apnea. This can be accomplished through a variety of procedures, including the use of radiofrequency waves or by direct excision, where tissue from the tongue base is removed by coblation or electrocautery.
• Lower jaw advancement: Procedure that expands the skeletal framework around the airway by advancing the upper and lower jaw bones up 10-12 mm. Once they have been moved to this position, they are stabilized through the use of plates. This procedure is incredibly complicated and will require patients to have their mouth wired shut for several weeks, but it does have a very high success rate.