Soft Tissue Surgery for Obstructive Sleep Apnea (OSA)

The ear, nose and throat specialists at University Hospitals provide a complete range of soft tissue surgeries for treating OSA, including:

Uvulopalatopharyngoplasty (UPP)

Uvulopalatopharyngoplasty (UPP) is one of the most common surgeries to treat OSA in adults. During this procedure, your doctor removes excess tissue in the throat to widen and stiffen the airway, allowing air to move more freely. The expanded airway reduces snoring and can be effective in selected cases of OSA. UPP is often combined with tonsillectomy (removal of the tonsils) and requires general anesthesia.

Tongue Reduction

If your tongue is large or softens and collapses toward the back of the throat while you sleep, it can block your upper airway. To help relieve your OSA, your doctor may recommend a procedure to reduce the size of the back of your tongue, move your tongue toward the front of your mouth or remove a small piece of tissue along the bottom of your tongue.

Tonsil or Adenoid Removal

Tonsils and adenoids are lymph nodes located behind your nose and on the sides of your throat, respectively. They can become swollen and block the airways. A tonsillectomy is removal of the tonsils. Children with OSA often need an adenotonsillectomy, which removes the tonsils and adenoids at the same time.

Palate Surgery

In palate surgery, your surgeon reshapes the soft tissue in the back of the roof of your mouth (the soft palate) and around the sides of your throat in order to widen your airway. This surgery can be done several different ways. For example, a palatal advancement is performed on patients who have a floppy palate. The goal of this procedure is to stiffen the palate. This procedure is often performed in conjunction with a tonsillectomy.

Epiglottopexy

The epiglottis is a small, movable flap of cartilage just above the larynx. When you swallow food or drink, it covers the windpipe to prevent food and drink from entering. In some patients, the epiglottis falls into the airway during inhalation at sleep. An epiglottopexy is an operation that brings the epiglottis forward. The procedure can relieve OSA by strengthening the cartilage in the epiglottis.

Nasal Surgery

Good sleep starts with healthy nasal breathing. Nasal surgery is a common treatment for OSA. It also helps patients who may be struggling with CPAP, mouthpieces and other devices. Nasal surgery is typically performed to shrink or remove blockages in the nasal passage, including nasal polyps, which are benign growths that can develop on the lining of the nose or sinuses; and turbinates, which are thin, bony plates within the nose that can become swollen.

Another nasal surgery, called a septoplasty, is done to correct a deviated septum, which occurs when the septum (the thin wall of bone and cartilage that separates the nasal passages) is crooked, causing one passage to be smaller than the other. Nasal surgery has been shown to significantly improve the quality of life in patients with sleep apnea.