_Sleep Apnea Surgery Options: No Shortage Of Variety
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While the bad news is that any one suffering from severe sleep apnea is perhaps going through one of the worst phases of life, the good news is that there is no dearth of sleep apnea surgery options for treating the condition effectively.
Surgeries however do not promise miracle cures. In fact, success rate of apnea surgeries is hardly higher than 65% often deteriorating over time. While a particular procedure may need 3 to 5 sessions for complete results, at times doctors may prefer to use a combination of several surgeries to achieve the desired goals.
When is the decision taken to do surgery? It all starts with diagnosis at the right time and that too correctly. Though common, this sleep disorder tends to remain undiagnosed and there is always the chance of it being misdiagnosed since many of its features appear to represent other illnesses. For example, excessive daytime sleepiness, one of its key features could mean narcolepsy or insomnia to someone or hypersomnia to another.
For correct diagnosis, doctors invariably rely on results from polysomnography as well as Multiple Sleep Latency Test, the procedure that measures daytime sleepiness. These tests not only reveal the type of illness but also the severity, which is truly the starting point of therapy selection.
For mild to moderate conditions of sleep apnea, doctors prescribe CPAP along with weight loss and lifestyle modifications. However, surgery is the last and only hope when the condition is serious as revealed by results of the diagnostic tests.
There are plenty of surgical options for treating the condition. The choice of surgery depends on the precise location of obstruction in the airway. While obstruction could be anywhere in the upper respiratory tract, the most common sites are within the nose, throat, and base of the tongue.
Here are some common surgeries that essentially aim to clear the air passage to allow the patient to enjoy obstruction-free breathing:
*Nasal surgeries: there are three specific anatomical problems that can cause nasal blockage including deviated septum, turbinates and nasal valve. Septoplasty is one of the minimally invasive procedures that can straighten deviated septum as well as reduce size of enlarged turbinates and repair nasal valve collapse. One of the latest nasal surgeries is somnoplasty, the only surgical option that uses temperature-controlled radiofrequency energy (TCRF) to reduce, control and tighten enlarged tissues in the upper airway tract like the tonsils, nasal passages, palate and base of tongue.
*UPPP, or uvulopalatopharyngoplasty surgery, is one of the oldest and most reputed surgeries. It removes extra tissues from the soft palate and pharynx.
*Soft palate implants or the Pillar Procedure is also minimally invasive and is effective even in treating mild conditions. Three polyester rods are implanted in the soft palate resulting in stiffening of the adjoining tissue and opening of the airways.
*A relatively simple surgery is tracheostomy that involves making an incision in the windpipe through the neck for air to enter directly into the lungs. These days this procedure is performed only for patients for who the condition is life-threatening.
Genioglossus (tongue advancement), hyoid bone advancement, maxillary or maxillomandibular advancement (MMA), etc are some of the other sleep apnea surgery options for the management of severe conditions or who find CPAP therapy incompatible.
While the bad news is that any one suffering from severe sleep apnea is perhaps going through one of the worst phases of life, the good news is that there is no dearth of sleep apnea surgery options for treating the condition effectively.
Surgeries however do not promise miracle cures. In fact, success rate of apnea surgeries is hardly higher than 65% often deteriorating over time. While a particular procedure may need 3 to 5 sessions for complete results, at times doctors may prefer to use a combination of several surgeries to achieve the desired goals.
When is the decision taken to do surgery? It all starts with diagnosis at the right time and that too correctly. Though common, this sleep disorder tends to remain undiagnosed and there is always the chance of it being misdiagnosed since many of its features appear to represent other illnesses. For example, excessive daytime sleepiness, one of its key features could mean narcolepsy or insomnia to someone or hypersomnia to another.
For correct diagnosis, doctors invariably rely on results from polysomnography as well as Multiple Sleep Latency Test, the procedure that measures daytime sleepiness. These tests not only reveal the type of illness but also the severity, which is truly the starting point of therapy selection.
For mild to moderate conditions of sleep apnea, doctors prescribe CPAP along with weight loss and lifestyle modifications. However, surgery is the last and only hope when the condition is serious as revealed by results of the diagnostic tests.
There are plenty of surgical options for treating the condition. The choice of surgery depends on the precise location of obstruction in the airway. While obstruction could be anywhere in the upper respiratory tract, the most common sites are within the nose, throat, and base of the tongue.
Here are some common surgeries that essentially aim to clear the air passage to allow the patient to enjoy obstruction-free breathing:
*Nasal surgeries: there are three specific anatomical problems that can cause nasal blockage including deviated septum, turbinates and nasal valve. Septoplasty is one of the minimally invasive procedures that can straighten deviated septum as well as reduce size of enlarged turbinates and repair nasal valve collapse. One of the latest nasal surgeries is somnoplasty, the only surgical option that uses temperature-controlled radiofrequency energy (TCRF) to reduce, control and tighten enlarged tissues in the upper airway tract like the tonsils, nasal passages, palate and base of tongue.
*UPPP, or uvulopalatopharyngoplasty surgery, is one of the oldest and most reputed surgeries. It removes extra tissues from the soft palate and pharynx.
*Soft palate implants or the Pillar Procedure is also minimally invasive and is effective even in treating mild conditions. Three polyester rods are implanted in the soft palate resulting in stiffening of the adjoining tissue and opening of the airways.
*A relatively simple surgery is tracheostomy that involves making an incision in the windpipe through the neck for air to enter directly into the lungs. These days this procedure is performed only for patients for who the condition is life-threatening.
Genioglossus (tongue advancement), hyoid bone advancement, maxillary or maxillomandibular advancement (MMA), etc are some of the other sleep apnea surgery options for the management of severe conditions or who find CPAP therapy incompatible.
