| Sleep Apnea Surgery |
| Written by Samuel Blue | |
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Obstructive or apnea is basically a sleeping disorder which can strike people of any age and of any culture. This sleeping disorder is actually a silent problem caused because the one suffering from it actually does not realize its symptoms quite soon and it is often their spouse who reminds them of their sleeping problems. Moreover these people also start experiencing severe headaches during the day which also leads to other problems that are mainly caused due to improper or insufficient sleep during the night. However when the person starts realizing their problems and the consequences caused on their daytime activities and attitude they often turn towards a form of treatment called as CPAP or continuous positive airway pressure treatment.
This form of treatment is quite effective in improving this apnea sleep disorder. However the patients often have a hard time undergoing this treatment as it needs the patient to always wear the CPAP mask during the night when they sleep. Therefore when the patient either cannot get enough relief from this treatment or cannot consistently stay with the CPAP mast on during the night, then a sleep apnea surgery could be the best logical option in its treatment. Surgical options in sleep apnea disorderTherefore if you are among the patients who cannot tolerate the CPAP or continuous positive airway pressure methods of treatment for your obstructive apnea sleep disorder then there are some options available in treating this disorder. However there are just a few options available which might also be of inadequate effectiveness based on your disorder and they might also not be recommended for every patient suffering from apnea sleep disorder. UPPP or Uvulopalatopharyngoplasty apnea surgeryUPPP is one of the most common types of surgical treatment which is suitable for individuals with moderate or mild obstructive sleep apnea and those who find it hard to manage CPAP method or other medical treatments. This type of UPPP is a surgical process of removing excessive tissues saturated in the patient’s upper airway which also includes the back of the throat and the mouth. This type of sleep apnea surgery basically removes the tissues form the uvula, tonsils and from the hard palate which is the top portion of the mouth. The tissues often act as an obstruction for the airway and so it is hoped that after removing these tissues it could clear the obstruction while getting you rid of sleep apnea disorder. However there are a couple of complications which can occur during the procedure of sleep apnea surgery. Similar to any other surgical methods there are risks involved in bleeding, pain and infection even with these sleep apnea surgeries. Apart from this there could also be changes in the patient’s voice due tot eh narrowing of their pharynx which is a sensation of the foreign tissue or part located in the throat or could be the risk of insufficiently of velopharyngeal which is basically the regurgitation of liquids, food and saliva in the nose at time of swallowing. Moreover the patient could also experience some difficulties in tolerating CPAP methods in case it is needed after the surgical procedure. You should know that only 50 percent of the patients who are treated with UPPP sleep apnea surgery cut their overall number of hypopnea and apnea events by more than half. However these improvements could even reduce over time. Therefore these patients are often recommended a second time therapy which is even after the CPAP treatment but only for those who face tissue obstruction in their airway. Tracheostomy surgical treatmentTracheostomy is a type of sleep apnea surgery incision which is done in the trachea or the front of the windpipe. During this surgery there is a plastic tube placed in order to keep the trachea open and this type of surgical treatment is highly effective in treating obstructive sleep apnea disorders. The process basically detours the obstruction observed in the upper airway as it is often the primary cause for this disorder. However because of the rather invasive nature of this sleep apnea surgery and the effectiveness of CPAP this type of treatment is very rarely recommended for any patients. The treatment type is often reserved only for those suffering from life threatening disorders such as arrhythmias, cor pulmonale and from severe hypoxemia or low levels of oxygen which cannot be controlled through other methods of treatment. Other surgical options in sleep apnea treatmentBased on the cause of apnea the patient could be recommended chinbone or hyoid myotomy surgery with suspension, tongue or genioglossus advancement and jaw or maxillomandibular advancement methods for sleep apnea treatment. All these procedures help in correcting anatomical defects which are related to bones and muscles that support the lower jaw and tongue but they are not performed when the defects are absent. |
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