In the practice of sleep medicine, the first step is identification of those patients at high risk for sleep apnea. Nearly every physician and every hospital has preferred methods of screening. Many patient questionnaires or surveys as well as some objective physical measurements have been suggested to predict the presence of sleep apnea. Screening is well established, and laboratory and home testing are widely available. An early assessment with a physical examination can help direct treatment planning. The Friedman tongue position, lingual tonsil hypertrophy grading, and the effects of oral positioning on the hypopharynx should be used in early assessment for treatment planning, and as screening tools to assess the sight of obstruction. Although these screening tools are not substitutes for drug-induced sleep endoscopy (DISE), they are crucial in early assessment as many patients do not require surgery or DISE early in the evaluation.

Objective Whereas uvulopalatopharyngoplasty (UPPP) was the standard surgical procedure for obstructive sleep apnea prior to 2007, multilevel surgery has become the standard since that time. This study compares morbidity and mortality rates of the stand-alone UPPP with those of multilevel sleep surgery that includes UPPP. Methods Patients undergoing UPPP between 2007 and 2014 were identified in the American College of Surgeons National Surgical Quality Improvement Program database. UPPP was defined by Current Procedural Terminology codes 42145 and 42950. Primary outcomes were incidence of morbidity and mortality. Rates were compared between a control group with UPPP only and a group with multilevel surgery. Results A total of 2674 cases were analyzed. The incidence of complications in the UPPP-only group was 1.6% (0.09% fatal); in the multilevel surgery group, 4.63% (0.19% fatal). The difference in overall and nonfatal complications is statistically significant ( P < .01); however, values for fatal complications are too low for comparison. There is a statistically significant ( P < .01) positive correlation ( R = 0.92) between year of operation and rate of complications, with increased incidence of complications in more recent years. Discussion Complication rates for multilevel sleep surgery are higher than those of stand-alone UPPP, and overall complication rates have been increasing in recent years. As UPPP supplemented with multilevel surgery is now the standard surgical treatment for most cases of obstructive sleep apnea-hypopnea syndrome, historical complication rates based predominantly on patients undergoing UPPP only underestimate complication rates of modern sleep surgery. Implications for Practice It is reasonable to inform patients that multilevel procedures bring an increased risk of complications, and patient selection should be guided accordingly.

Ten-year experience shows that treatment with single-stage multilevel minimally invasive surgery decreases objective and subjective measures in selected patients with mild to moderate OSA. Although not curative, this technique helps to control symptoms in a population of patients who refused CPAP.

This study reveals the improvement of the 2 relevant clinical outcomes in snoring severity and daytime sleepiness after minimally invasive, single-stage, multilevel surgery for patients with OSA but the limited effects on the polysomnographic parameters. Although the current role of minimally invasive, single-stage, multilevel surgery for Asian adults with OSA remains to be established, it is hoped that ongoing and future studies will solidify their role in the treatment of OSA.

Objective The aim of this study is to (1) assess incidence of long-term velopharyngeal insufficiency (VPI) and (2) determine other sequelae following classic and modified uvulopalatopharyngoplasty (UPPP and mUPPP) for treatment of obstructive sleep apnea (OSA). Data Sources Medline, PubMed, Cochrane Library database. Review Methods A systematic review was performed following standard Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-analyses (PRISMA) guidelines. Original research articles reporting on sequelae of UPPP and mUPPP for treatment of OSA, at a mean of 1 year follow-up, were included. Articles were retrieved using keywords UPPP complications and UPPP questionnaire. A random-effects model was used for pooling data. Results A total of 24 studies were included in this review. Complications included VPI (24 studies, n = 191), difficulty swallowing (7 studies, n = 83), taste disturbances (4 studies, n = 10), voice changes (7 studies, n = 46), foreign body (9 studies, n = 427), and dry pharynx (7 studies, n = 150). When pooling all studies together, VPI was the least common sequelae reported in 8.1% of the cases. Foreign body sensation was the most commonly reported sequelae at 31.2%, with difficulty swallowing (17.7%), dry pharynx (23.4%), voice changes (9.5%), and taste disturbances (8.2%) being the most to least likely. Conclusions The long-term effectiveness of UPPP and mUPPP is limited by the number of studies reporting short-term follow-up only. Despite this, long-term data suggest that complications such as VPI are more common than previously reported. Other sequelae, such as foreign body sensation, may be one of the most frequently expected complications after UPPP surgery.