Predicting the Outcomes of Oropharyngeal Surgery in Patients With Obstructive Sleep Apnea Using Tongue‐Retaining Devices

Abstract

AbstractObjectiveTo determine the efficacy of a tongue‐retaining device (TRD) in predicting the outcomes of oropharyngeal surgery in patients with obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) before surgery.Study DesignA prospective case‐control study.SettingA single tertiary medical center.MethodsPatients with moderate‐severe OSA who underwent both uvulopalatopharyngoplasty and tongue base suspension between January 2022 and July 2022 were included. Each patient underwent a series of 3 overnight polysomnography. Objective outcomes include apnea‐hypopnea index (AHI), minimal oxygen saturation, and reduction rate of AHI. The correlation between the reduction rate of AHI with TRD and surgery was analyzed with linear regression.ResultsThe reduction rates of AHI were significantly different between the group using TRD (44 ± 24%) and the postoperative group (55 ± 21%). The cross‐tabulation revealed a strong association between a positive response to TRD treatment and a positive response to surgery. The use of TRD to evaluate surgical response demonstrated a positive predictive value of 90% and a negative predictive value of 70%. A strong correlation between the decrease in AHI was observed in both TRD and surgery groups, which was demonstrated by a steep slope in the scatter plot and a significant simple linear regression line.ConclusionPreoperative TRD response is an accurate tool for predicting the success of oropharyngeal surgery in managing OSA patients before surgical treatment. Furthermore, a quantifiable positive linear correlation exists between the efficacy of preoperative TRD treatment and surgery.