• Tuberculosis and Respiratory Diseases
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• v.44 no.6
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• pp.1366-1381
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• 1997

Background : Uvulopalatopharyngoplasty(UPPP) has become the most common surgical treatment for obstructive sleep apnea syndrome(OSAS). However, the results of this therapeutic modality have been quite variable with successful results by several authors and poor results by others. Until recently, in Korea, there is only a few reports about the clinical efficacy of UPPP. A prospective study was undertaken to evaluate the effectiveness and complications of UPPP. Method : Twenty-six OSAS patients who had undergone UPPP with preoperative and postoperative polysomnographic studies were included in this study. Two definitions of surgical success were used. The responder was defined, using a conventional criteria, as a 50% or more reduction in apnea index(AI) or apneahypopnea index(AHI) after UPPP, or a postoperative AI of <10 or AHI of <20. The initial cure was defined, using our own criteria, as a postoperative AI of <5 or AHI of <10. Complications were categorized in two groups : early(disorders during the first 10 postoperative days) and late. Results : Eighteen patients(69.2%) were responders, and ten patients(38.5%) were considered as initial cure. On the other hand, in five patients (19.2%), postoperative polysomnographic data demonstrated deterioration compared with preoperative data. Reduction rate of AI or AHI following UPPP was not significantly related to the preoperative body mass index, AI or AHI. There was no significant change of sleep architecture before and after UPPP in responder and initial cure groups. Early complications such as pain, dyspnea, bleeding, nasal reflux, dysphagia or wound disruption were observed in all patients. Late complications such as nasal reflux, voice change, dysphagia, loss of taste, pharyngeal dryness or foreign body sensation were discovered in 22 patients (84.6%). However, all early and late complications were of minor importance. Conclusion : The response to UPPP was favorable in approximately 70% of OSAS patient. However, the initial Cure rate of UPPP was relatively low. We suggest that selection of more appropriate surgical candidates and adequate surgical protocol is necessary to obtain a more successful result with UPPP.

• Sleep Medicine and Psychophysiology
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• v.1 no.2
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• pp.117-124
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• 1994

Obstructive Sleep Apnea Syndrome(OSAS), that is a complex disease of neuromuscular, respiratory and cardiovascular system, can be cured by various treatment such as weight control, medical and surgical intervention. As most of OSAS may be caused by various anatomical abnormalities, preoperative evaluation for exact anatomical site of obstruction must be needed. And various diagnostic procedures such as fiberoptic nasopharyngoscopy, Mueller test, cinefluoroscopy, cephalometry, computerized tomography, polysomnography would be used for this purpose. Uvulopalotopharyngplasty is currently the most popular method for the patient with OSAS among various surgical maneuvers and is very effective for the relieving the symptoms as like snoring, daytime somnolence, and nocturnal restlessness etc. Although subjective improvement is not compatible with it's objective assessment in postoperative evaluation for it's results, uvulopalatopharyngoplasty could be a recommandable surgical procedure because of it's ample effectiveness in promoting symptom improvement without any risk of serious complications.

• Korean Journal of Bronchoesophagology
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• v.13 no.1
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• pp.43-46
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• 2007

Nasopharyngeal stenosis is an obliteration of the normal communication between the nasopharynx and the oropharynx resulting from the fusion of the tonsillar pillars and soft palate to the posterior pharyngeal wall. It is a rare but serious problem. The most common etiology is currently the surgical trauma associated with uvulopalatopharyngoplasty or adenotonsillectomy. It can range in severity from a thin band to a complete obstructing cicatrix, Symptoms vary from mild hyponasal speech to almost complete nasal obstruction with oral breathing, We present a case of a 16 year-old male with nasopharyngeal stenosis after radiofrequency-assisted adenoidectomy in this paper. This patient was managed by synechiolysis, obturator and buccal mucosal graft.

• The Journal of the Korean dental association
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• v.48 no.3
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• pp.178-183
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• 2010

Obstructive Sleep Apnea(OSA) is a form of sleep disordered breathing(SDB) characterized by the occurrence of episodes of complete or partial upper airway obstruction during sleep that is often quantified as the apnea-hyponea index(AHI). It is increasingly being recognized that OSA is a public health hazard and there is increasing evidence that it is associated with an increase in morbidity. Early recognition and diagnosis of this condition may lead to earlier treatments (eg, CPAP, Oral appliances) with reduction of the risk of metabolic disease, cardiovascular diseases, such as hypertension, ischemic heart disease, arrhythmias and pulmonary hypertension.

• Journal of Oral Medicine and Pain
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• v.25 no.2
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• pp.247-251
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• 2000

Snoring, the sign of obstructive sleep apnea may cause medical problems and also a serious problem in human relationship. Some of the treatment methods for snoring patients are drug therapy, intraoral appliance, surgical operation, etc. This is a case report of a 48 years old female patient who continuously complained about snoring after uvulopalatopharyngoplasty and a remarkable improvement of the symptom after the delivery of an oral appliance.

• Journal of the Korean Association of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeons
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• v.27 no.2
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• pp.162-166
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• 2001

Obstructive sleep apnea syndrome(OSAS) is a complex sleep disorder characterized by intermittent apnea secondary to sleep-induced obstruction of the upper airway. It occurs because of an airway obstruction anywhere between the trachea and the oronasal apparatus. The hallmark of OSAS is snoring, which is caused by vibration of the tissues of the pharynx as the airway narrows. The consequences of OSAS have focused on excessive daytime sleepiness resulting from sleep fragmentation and the cardiovascular derangements producing hypertension and arrhythmias. The primary method of controlling OSAS has been surgery. The current surgical procedures used for OSAS are tracheostomy, tonsillectomy, nasal septoplasty, uvulopalatopharyngoplasty, anterior mandibular osteotomy with hyoid myotomy and suspension, and maxillary, mandibular and hyoid advancement. We report a case of OSAS that was improved by genial advancement with infrahyoid myotomy and suspension. The patient was objectively documented by polysomnography, cephalometric analysis, and physical examination before the surgical procedure. The patient underwent genial advancement with infrahyoid myotomy and suspension. Patient had a good response from surgery.

• Sleep Medicine and Psychophysiology
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• v.5 no.2
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• pp.210-215
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• 1998

OSA(Obstructive Sleep Apnea) is a condition with repeated obstruction of the upper airway while sleeping. This obstruction of the upper airway may result if sleep-induced physiologic change in muscle activity is superimposed on various structural defects of the upper airway. Macroglossia, micrognathia, retrognathia, and decreased airway lumen have all been implicated in OSA. There are a variety of surgical and nonsurgical treatment modalities currently available for OSA. Recently the uvulopalatopharyngoplasty has achieved widespread use, but success rates vary and long-term effects are still unknown. Current nonsurgical treatment methods can be cumbersome and uncomfortable with variable responses. For this case. we diagnosed as OSA by using polysomnographic analysis and cephalometric analysis, and delivered intraoral removable appliance which is more conservative, reversible and easy to use for patient. And we got results that Apnea Index(AI) decreased from 14.4 to 3.1, Total Respiratory Disturbance Index(Total RDI) decreased from 18.1 to 7.0 and removal of chronic headache in daytime.

• Maxillofacial Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery
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• v.38
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• pp.47.1-47.8
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• 2016

Background: The paradigm of tonsillectomy has shifted from a treatment of recurrent throat infection to one of multi-discipline management modalities of sleep-disordered breathing (SDB). While tonsillectomy as a treatment for throat problems has been performed almost exclusively by otorhinolaryngologists, tonsillectomy as a part of the armamentarium for the multifactorial, multidisciplinary therapy of sleep-disordered breathing needs a new introduction to those involved in treating SDB patients. This study has its purpose in sharing a series of tonsillectomies performed at the Seoul National University Dental Hospital for the treatment and prevention of SDB in adult patients. Methods: Total of 78 patients underwent tonsillectomy at the Seoul National University Dental Hospital from 1996 to 2015, and 23 of them who were operated by a single surgeon (Prof. Jin-Young Choi) were included in the study. Through retrospective chart review, the purpose of tonsillectomy, concomitant procedures, grade of tonsillar hypertrophy, surgical outcome, and complications were evaluated. Results: Twenty-one patients diagnosed with SDB received multiple surgical procedures (uvulopalatal flap, uvulopalatopharyngoplasty, genioglossus advancement genioplasty, tongue base reduction, etc.) along with tonsillectomy. Two patients received mandibular setback orthognathic surgery with concomitant tonsillectomy in anticipation of postoperative airway compromise. All patients showed improvement in symptoms such as snoring and apneic events during sleep. Conclusions: When only throat infections were considered, tonsillectomy was a procedure rather unfamiliar to oral and maxillofacial surgeons. With a shift of primary indication from recurrent throat infections to SDB and emerging technological and procedural breakthroughs, simpler and safer tonsillectomy has become a major tool in the multidisciplinary treatment modality for SDB.

• The Journal of the Korean dental association
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• v.49 no.4
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• pp.219-226
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• 2011

Snoring and obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) are common sleep disordered breathing conditions. Habitual snoring is caused by a vibration of soft tissue of upper airway while breath in sleeping, and obstructive sleep apnea is caused by the repeated obstructions of airflow for a sleeping, specially airflow of pharynx. Researchers have shown that snoring is the most important symptom connected with the obstructive sleep apnea syndrome The treatment is directed toward improving the air flow by various surgical and nonsurgical methods. The current surgical procedures used are uvulopalatopharyngoplasty(UPPP), orthognathic surgery, nasal cavity surgery. Among the nonsurgical methods there are nasal continuous positive air pressure(CPAP), pharmacologic therapy. weight loss in obese patient, oral appliance(sleep splint). Sleep splint brings the mandible forward in order to increase upper airway volume and prevents total upper airway collapse during sleep. However, the precise mechanism of action is not yet completely understood, especially aerodynamic factor. The aim of this study evaluated the effect of conservative treatment of snoring and OSAS by sleep splint through measured aerodynamic change by an aerophone II. We measured a airflow, sound pressure level, duration, mean power from overall airflow by aerophone II mask. The results indicated that on a positive correlation between a decrease in maximum airflow rate and a decrease in maximum sound pressure level, on a negative correlation between a decrease in maximum airflow rate and a increase in duration.

• Journal of the Korean Association of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeons
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• v.29 no.5
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• pp.338-345
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• 2003

Purpose : This study was intended to perform cephalometric comparison between the patients with and without obstructive sleep apnea (OSA). The factors influencing the OSA in the lateral cephalogram was also investigated. Patient and Method : Twenty four patients who visited Sleep Disorder Clinic in Dongsan Medical Center, Keimyung University and evaluated with polysomnograph(PSG) and cephalogram were included in the study. The patients had apnea-hypopnea episode(AHI) over 10 times per hour was diagnosed as OSA after overnight PSG. To evaluate hard and soft tissue profile, cephalometric radiogram were taken at maximal intercuspation(P1) and mandibular protruding position(P2). The diffefence between the OSA and normal group were evaluated statistically and the stepwise regression analysis was applied to analyse the cephalometric influencing factors to OSA. Result : The OSA Group(n=14) had significantly higher Body Mass Index(BMI) than control group(n=10). Lower facial height(ANSGn) was longer in OSA group. However statistically significant difference was not detected in other anteroposterior craniofacial measurements. The soft palate lenth (PNS-P), hyoid position (MP-Hyoid) had positive correlation between AHI (r=0.496, r=0.413, respectively, p<0.05). However, the measurements of oropharyngeal airway was not different between the two groups. The hypothesis, the antero-posteriorly narrow oropharyngeal airway might aggravate the airway resistance and can give rise to higher AHI, was not accepted in the study. This can be attributed by inclusion of the patients performed uvulopalatopharyngoplasty because of the tonsilar or soft palate hypertrophy in the present study. The results of regression analysis revealed that PNS-P, upper airway width(Nph1), upper facial heght(N-ANS), and lower facial height(ANS-Gn) could influence the degree of AHI (F value < 0.0001, $R^2$ = 0.829). Conclusion : We suggest lateral cephalogram may utilized as a useful method to evaluate OSA. The patient with long soft palate, narrow upper airway width, long upper & lower facial height can be expected to have high risk of OSA. However, it should be emphasized the comphrehensive intraoral inspection including soft palate and tonsilar hypertrophy because lateral cepahlogram cannot visualize oropharyngeal status completely.