[The evaluation of the effectiveness of uvulopalatopharyngoplasy in the treatment of selected patients with mild to moderate obstructive sleep apnoea--one year of postoperative follow up].

UNLABELLED: The uvulopalatopharyngoplasty (UPPP) is one the most commonly used surgical procedure for the treatment of obstructive sleep apnoea (OSA) patients. The effectiveness of this procedure in a group of unselected patients is estimated on about 40%.

AIM OF THE STUDY: To assess the efficacy of uvulopalatopharyngoplasty in the treatment of mild and moderate OSA patients, qualified for the study by simple clinical criteria, one year after UPPP. One year postoperative results were also compared with the early results obtained 4-6 months postoperatively.

MATERIAL AND

METHODS

20 patients who meet the following criteria: respiratory disturbance index RDI <30, body mass index BMI<30, collar size <43 cm, tongue size - I and II grade in modified Mallampati scale were qualified for the study. The first examination of breathing disturbances during sleep was performed 4-6 months after the operation and the second after 12 to 14 months of follow up.

RESULTS

The first control examination revealed at least 50% reduction of RDI in 75% of patients, and RDI dropped below 10 in 60%. One year postoperatively the reduction of RDI by at last 50% was maintained in 60% of patients, and RDI dropped below 10 in 40% of cases. The mean RDI decreased from 21.35 preoperatively to 9.85 in the first control examination and subsequently slightly increased to 10.25 after one year of follow up.

CONCLUSIONS

Application of simple clinical criteria to patients' qualification for UPPP slightly improved the effectiveness of this type of surgical procedure. Regular control examinations of breathing disorders during sleep seem to be necessary, due to possible deterioration of the early postoperative results, in order to detect therapeutic failure and eventually apply other form of treatment.