ISSS and AAO-HNSF 2023 Sleep Surgery Research Highlights

Posted by & filed under Palate Surgery, Sleep Apnea, Surgery, Tongue Surgery.

Nashville, TN was the site of both the 2023 International Surgical Sleep Society (ISSS) Educational Symposium and American Academy of Otolaryngology – Head and Neck Surgery Foundation Annual Meeting. It is always wonderful to see colleagues and long-time friends. However, I wanted to take the chance to share some of what I found to be… Read more »

ImThera/LivaNova aura6000 THN3 Randomized Trial Outcomes

Posted by & filed under Surgery, Tongue Surgery.

Since its FDA approval in 2014, the Upper Airway Stimulation system from Inspire Medical Systems has dominated the landscape of nerve stimulation in the treatment of obstructive sleep apnea. A number of companies have been involved in development of hypoglossal nerve stimulation technologies, and this month one of those companies (LivaNova) had publication of results… Read more »

New research evaluates trouble swallowing after sleep apnea surgery

Posted by & filed under Palate Surgery, Sleep Apnea, Surgery, Tongue Surgery.

Surgery for obstructive sleep apnea often involves surgery of the throat that removes, repositions, and/or tightens tissue. Although the goal is to improve or eliminate the sleep apnea, the risks include the potential to disrupt normal function, especially speech and swallowing. Fortunately, speech changes have always been rare, but changes in swallowing have always been… Read more »

Epiglottis Stiffening Operation for Epiglottis-Related Obstruction in OSA

Posted by & filed under Surgery, Tongue Surgery.

Drug-induced sleep endoscopy has demonstrated clearly that the epiglottis can play an important role in obstructive sleep apnea in about 5-10% of patients. Surgical treatment approaches suggest that that treatment of the epiglottis specifically can provide substantial improvement in these cases. Multiple procedures have been proposed as options in cases of epiglottis-related obstruction; two of… Read more »

Advances in Sleep Apnea and Snoring 2022 Course Highlights

Posted by & filed under Palate Surgery, Sleep Apnea, Snoring, Surgery, Tongue Surgery.

We have just completed the 27th Annual Advances in Diagnosis and Treatment of Sleep Apnea and Snoring course in San Francisco, California. It has been wonderful to be a co-director for about 15 years, and I learn so much myself in every course. This year we did something different: a virtual format! We can thank… Read more »

How long do the benefits of sleep surgery last?

Posted by & filed under Palate Surgery, Surgery, Tongue Surgery.

Like most surgical treatments throughout medicine, research studies typically evaluate short-term outcomes. In sleep surgery, most studies report results at 3-6 months following surgery. There are notable exceptions – including 5-year outcomes reported for Inspire Upper Airway Stimulation in the STAR Trial presented at the Sleep 2017 meeting and then published in the medical journal… Read more »

Sleep Apnea Multilevel Surgery (SAMS) Randomized Trial: Surgery Improves the AHI and Sleepiness More than Conservative Treatment

Posted by & filed under Palate Surgery, Sleep Apnea, Surgery, Tongue Surgery.

Well-done randomized trials offer the highest-quality scientific evaluation of any medical intervention. Unfortunately, randomized trials of surgical interventions are extremely difficult to perform, for numerous reasons. In sleep surgery, there have been a number of randomized trials showing that surgical treatment of obstructive sleep apnea can offer important benefits that matter to patients. These include… Read more »

Identifying the epiglottis as a cause of airway blockage in obstructive sleep apnea

Posted by & filed under Sleep Apnea, Surgery, Tongue Surgery.

Readers of this blockage will know that I have written often about drug-induced sleep endoscopy (DISE) as an important evaluation for patients with obstructive sleep apnea who cannot tolerate CPAP well. One of the unique benefits of DISE is the assessment of whether the epiglottis might be a cause of obstructive sleep apnea, in that… Read more »

Drug-induced sleep endoscopy findings are associated with results of Inspire Upper Airway Stimulation

Posted by & filed under Surgery, Tongue Surgery.

Inspire Medical Systems received FDA approval in 2014 for their Upper Airway Stimulation therapy to treat obstructive sleep apnea, and we were the first center in the Western United States to offer this treatment to patients after that approval. We have a substantial experience with this therapy here and have always felt it essential to… Read more »

Video Presentation on Hypoglossal Nerve Stimulation

Posted by & filed under Surgery, Tongue Surgery.

Over the years, I have become more and more impressed by my patients and their sophisticated knowledge of obstructive sleep apnea and the latest research. As part of a national educational lecture series for sleep medicine fellows, I was recently asked to give a lecture on hypoglossal nerve stimulation in the treatment of obstrucive sleep… Read more »