[Value of hyomandibulopexia in the surgical treatment of snoring in patients with sleep apnea].

The authors report their experience with hyomandibulopexia for lingual repositioning in patients with the sleep apnea syndrome. The technique was used 12 times in 11 men and 1 woman and a maximum follow-up of 3.4 years. Hypomandibulopexia was performed as first intention therapy 7 times with or without uvulo-palato-pharyngoplasty. Video-fibroscopy of the pharynx and cephalic magnetic resonance imagery revealed retrobasilingual narrowing in all 7 of these cases. Hyomandibulopexia was performed 5 times for recurrent sleep apnoea syndrome after prior surgery. In two cases, pre-operative evaluation did not reveal any topographic abnormality. Polysomnography studies showed clear improvement with a decreased apneic index and desaturation values. A second fixation of the hyoid was success fully in one case. Hyomandibulopexia is a simple and reliable technique which is useful in patients with sleep apnea syndrome with good to excellent medium term results.