Obstructive sleep apnea treated with uvulopalatopharyngoplasty: a systematic follow-up study.

We evaluated ten consecutive cases of obstructive sleep apnea treated with uvulopalatopharyngoplasty (UPPP). The preoperative all-night polysomnograms were compared to those done one to three months after surgery. Excessive daytime sleepiness, the main complaint of every patient, partially improved in three and was completely abolished in seven. The lowest oxygen saturation levels were below 80% in nine cases before UPPP and in only three afterward. The number of apneic episodes per hour of sleep, or apnea index, decreased in every patient and reached normal levels in five. Improvement of other sleep indices was not statistically detectable and may require large numbers of patients and longer follow-up for documentation.