Severe Cases Of Sleep Apnea May Benefit From Surgery, Study Suggests

Some obstructive sleep apnea patients with more severe cases may benefit from surgery instead of continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP), according to a recent study.

Researchers at the University of California Los Angeles found that 512 of the 518 patients in the study experienced an improvement following surgery.

"Maxillomandibular advancement is a highly effective treatment for OSA," the researchers said, in a news release. "Those patients with the most severe measures of OSA tend to benefit to the greatest degree."

While CPAP treatment works with low air pressure that helps keep airways open during sleep, patients with more severe cases may require maxillomandibular advancement; this enlarges the upper airways through surgical movement of the upper and lower jaws by moving them slightly forward.

During the study, researchers examined data from 45 studies that included 518 patients. Findings revealed that 74 percent of the patients had undergone prior surgery for obstructive sleep apnea. Furthermore, for 512 of the 518 patients, the average apnea-hypopnea index score decreasing by 80 percent and respiratory disturbance index score decreasing by 65 percent.

The researchers found patients with less severe measures of obstructive sleep apnea saw a smaller change in scores, and those with more severe symptoms were seen to benefit from surgery more than others,

The study is published in JAMA Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery.

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