Skip to main content

Tongue base suspension using a repose bone screw system in the treatment of obstructive sleep apnea

En

Abstract

Objectives

The aim of this study was to evaluate the tongue base suspension suture technique using a repose bone screw system with respect to efficiency in relieving obstructive sleep apnea, safety, and postoperative morbidity.

Study design

This was a prospective study carried out on 10 patients with a complaint of moderate or severe obstructive sleep apnea because of retrolingual hypopharyngeal obstruction.

Methods

Demographic data were determined and preoperative investigations (flexible nasopharyngoscopy, polysomnography, and lateral cephalometry) were carried out; in addition, operative technique and postoperative assessment of patients’ complaints and postoperative data of polysomnography and lateral cephalometry were carried out.

Results

Improvement in the main complaints of patients, a significant reduction in the mean apnea hypopnea index in postoperative polysomnography, and an increase in the mean posterior airway space at the level of the tongue base in postoperative lateral cephalometry were recorded.

Conclusion

The tongue base suspension technique using a repose bone screw system is an easy and efficient procedure for the treatment of retrolingual obstruction, with minimal postoperative morbidity.

References

  1. Young T, Palta M, Dempsey J, Skatrud J, Weber S, Badr S. The occurrence of sleep-disordered breathing among middle-aged adults. N Engl J Med. 1993; 328: 1230–1235.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  2. Katsantonis GP, Moss K, Miyazaki S, Walsh J. Determining the site of airway collapse in obstructive sleep apnea with airway pressure monitoring. Laryngoscope. 1993; 103: 1126–1131.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  3. Aboussouan LS, Golish JA, Wood BG, Mehta AC, Wood DE, Dinner DS. Dynamic pharyngoscopy in predicting outcome of uvulopalatopharyngoplasty for moderate and severe obstructive sleep apnea. Chest. 1995; 107: 946–951.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  4. Sher AE, Schechtman KB, Piccirillo JF. The efficacy of surgical modifications of the upper airway in adults with obstructive sleep apnea syndrome. Sleep. 1996; 19: 15–177.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  5. Riley RW, Powell NB, Guilleminault C. Obstructive sleep apnea syndrome: a review of 306 consecutively treated surgical patients. Otolaryngol Head Neck Surg. 1993; 108: 117–125.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  6. Mickelson SA, Rosenthal L. Midline glossectomy and epiglottidectomy for obstructive sleep apnea syndrome. Laryngoscope. 1997; 107: 614–619.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  7. Utley DS, Shin EJ, Clerk AA, Terris DJ. A cost-effective and rational surgical approach to patients with snoring, upper airway resistance syndrome, or obstructive sleep apnea syndrome. Laryngoscope. 1997; 107: 726–734.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  8. Pang KP, Terris DJ. Tongue suspension suture in obstructive sleep apnea. Operative Tech Otolaryngol Head Neck Surg. 2006; 17: 252–256.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  9. Fujita S. Pharyngeal surgery for obstructive sleep apnea and snoring. In: Fairbanks DNF, editor. Snoring and obstructive sleep apnea. 1st ed. New York: Raven Press; 1987.

    Google Scholar 

  10. Woodson BT. Innovative technique for lingual tonsillectomy and midline posterior glossectomy for obstructive sleep apnea. Operative Tech Otolaryngol Head Neck Surg. 2007; 18: 20–28.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  11. Victor LD. Obstructive sleep apnea. Am Fam Physician. 1999; 60: 2279–2286.

    CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  12. DeRowe A, Woodson BT. A minimally invasive technique for tongue base stabilization in obstructive sleep apnea. Operative Tech Otolaryngol Head Neck Surg. 2000; 11: 41–46.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  13. Pepin JL, Leger P, Veale D, Langevin B, Robert D, Levy P. Side effects of nasal continuous positive airway pressure in sleep apnea syndrome: study of 193 patients in two French sleep centers. Chest. 1995; 107: 375–381.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  14. DeRowe A, Gunther E, Fibbi A Tongue base suspension for sleep disordered breathing. A minimally invasive technique using a soft tissue to bone anchor. Presented at the HAO-HNS, Sept., San Antonio, TX. 1998.

  15. Woodson BT. A tongue suspension suture for obstructive sleep apnea and snorers. Otolaryngol Head Neck Surg. 2001; 124: 297–303.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  16. Omur M, Ozturan D, Elez F, Unver C, Derman S. Tongue base suspension combined with UPPP in severe OSA patients. Otolaryngol Head Neck Surg. 2005; 133: 218–223.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  17. Kühnel TS, Schurr C, Wagner B, Geisler P. Morphological changes of the posterior airway space after tongue base suspension. Laryngoscope. 2005; 115: 475–480.

    Article  Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

Authors

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Ramez Sabry.

Additional information

Conflicts of interest

There are no conflicts of interest.

Rights and permissions

This article is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License, which permits use, sharing, adaptation, distribution and reproduction in any medium or format, as long as you give appropriate credit to the original author(s) and the source, provide a link to the Creative Commons licence, and indicate if changes were made. The images or other third party material in this article are included in the article's Creative Commons licence, unless indicated otherwise in a credit line to the material. If material is not included in the article's Creative Commons licence and your intended use is not permitted by statutory regulation or exceeds the permitted use, you will need to obtain permission directly from the copyright holder. To view a copy of this licence, visit http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/.

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this article

Sabry, R., Reda, R. & Abdelmonem, M.S.A. Tongue base suspension using a repose bone screw system in the treatment of obstructive sleep apnea. Egypt J Otolaryngol 29, 29–33 (2013). https://doi.org/10.7123/01.EJO.0000422622.24313.4f

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.7123/01.EJO.0000422622.24313.4f

Keywords