Hyoid Bone Suspension as a Part of Multilevel Surgery for Obstructive Sleep Apnea Syndrome

摘要

>Introduction  Since oropharyngeal surgery alone is often insufficient to treat obstructive sleep apnea (OSA), advances have been developed in hypopharyngeal surgery. >Objective  To assess hyoid suspension surgery as part of a multilevel OSA surgery, also including palatal surgery. >Methods  The study included patients with OSA symptoms with apnea hypopnea index (AHI) > 15. They were scheduled for hyoid suspension after a nasoendoscopy during Müller maneuver and drug induced sleep endoscopy (DISE). All patients had body mass index (BMI) < 35 kg/m2. Hyoidothyroidopexy combined with tonsillectomy and palatal suspension was performed in all cases. >Results  The mean AHI dropped significantly ( p  < 0.0001) from 68.4 ± 25.3 preoperatively to 25.6 ± 9.52 postoperatively. The mean lowest oxygen (O 2 ) saturation level increased significantly from 66.8 ± 11.3 to 83.2 ± 2.86 ( p < 0.0001). In addition, the snoring score significantly decreased (p < 0.0001) from a preoperative mean of 3.4 ± 0.54 to 2 ± 0.7 at 6 months postoperatively. In regard to the Epworth sleepiness scale (ESS), it showed significant improvements (p < 0.0001) as its mean diminished from 13.8 ± 5.4 preoperatively to 5.2 ± 1.6 postoperatively.>Conclusion Hyoidothyroidopexy using absorbable suture seems to produce a good outcome in treating OSA. It could be effectively and safely combined with other palatal procedures in the multilevel surgery for OSA.