Reduction of postural nasal resistance following oropharyngeal surgery in patients with moderate-severe obstructive sleep apnea

BACKGROUND

Patients with obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) have elevated nasopharyngeal resistances due to increased turbulent airflow. The study aims to investigate the effect of oropharyngeal surgery on nasal resistance in patients with various severity levels of OSA.

METHODOLOGY

Patients with greater or equal to 5 events hourly on the apnea-hypopnea index (AHI) were enrolled. Patients with retropalatal obstruction underwent uvulopalatopharyngoplasty, while patients with concurrent retrolingual obstruction under- went uvulopalatopharyngoplasty (UPPP) plus tongue base suspension. Before surgery and after surgery, subjective outcomes were assessed using a visual analog scale (VAS), and objective outcomes were assessed using overnight polysomnography and rhinomanometry. The limitation of the study was that UPPP instead of expansion sphincter pharyngoplasty was performed in this study.

RESULTS

Sixty-two patients were enrolled, while 30 patients were diagnosed as mild OSA (group Mild) and 32 patients were mo- derate-severe OSA (group MS). The preoperative VAS of nasal obstruction in recumbency during sleep was significantly reduced after surgery in group MS. However, no significant differences between preoperative and postoperative VAS were found in group Mild. The postoperative anterior and posterior total nasal resistances (TNR) in sitting and supine positions were not significantly different from those before surgery in group. In contrast, the postoperative posterior TNR in supine position was 0.292±0.301(Pa/ cm3/s), compared with 0.425±0.343(Pa/cm3/s) preoperatively.

CONCLUSIONS

Oropharyngeal surgery improves nasal obstruction during sleep and lowers the supine TNR measured in poste- rior rhinomanometry in patients with moderate-severe OSA. Oropharyngeal surgery is a possible treatment for postural nasal obstruction in patients with moderate-severe OSA.