Surgical treatment of sleep apnea.

Contemporary surgical techniques and the preoperative and postoperative treatment of patients with this condition were analyzed, based on surgical treatment of 51 cases of obstructive sleep apnea syndrome (OSAS) and review of the relevant literature. The results indicate the permanent tracheostomy remains the established and highly successful method of treatment of carefully chosen patients with OSAS. Palatopharyngoplasty may also prove useful in treating certain select cases of OSAS, although careful analysis of a large number of successful cases followed up over an extended period of time will be needed. The development of new, effective surgical procedures in the treatment of OSAS depends on a complete understanding of the mechanisms involved in each individual airway obstruction.