Mouth opening during sleep may be a critical predictor of surgical outcome after uvulopalatopharyngoplasty for obstructive sleep apnea

J Clin Sleep Med. 2010 Apr 15;6(2):157-62.

Abstract

Study objectives: To evaluate the value of mouth opening during sleep for predicting surgical outcomes after uvulopalatopharyngoplasty (UPPP).

Methods: Retrospectively, 69 out of 120 consecutive patients with obstructive sleep apnea who underwent uvulopalatopharyngoplasty at an academic tertiary referral center were included in this study. Sixty-nine subjects underwent cephalometry, nocturnal polysomnography and sleep videofluoroscopy before and after UPPP. Multiple parameters from the above studies were evaluated as potential predictors of UPPP outcomes.

Results: Multivariate analysis showed that an increased angle of mouth opening during sleep was the only significant predictor for surgical failure (p < 0.001). The angle of mouth opening could predict surgical outcome with predictive values of 72.4% and 82.5% for success and failure, respectively.

Conclusions: Sleep videofluoroscopy during sleep revealed that the simple measurement of mouth-opening angle could outstandingly predict surgical outcome.

MeSH terms

  • Adult
  • Aged
  • Cephalometry / methods
  • Cephalometry / statistics & numerical data
  • Female
  • Fluoroscopy / methods
  • Fluoroscopy / statistics & numerical data
  • Humans
  • Male
  • Middle Aged
  • Mouth*
  • Palate / surgery*
  • Pharynx / surgery*
  • Plastic Surgery Procedures / methods
  • Polysomnography / methods
  • Polysomnography / statistics & numerical data
  • Predictive Value of Tests
  • Retrospective Studies
  • Sleep Apnea, Obstructive / physiopathology
  • Sleep Apnea, Obstructive / surgery*
  • Sleep*
  • Treatment Outcome
  • Uvula / surgery
  • Videotape Recording / methods
  • Videotape Recording / statistics & numerical data
  • Young Adult