Osa and surgical approaches-a literature review

Obstructive Sleep Apnea Syndrome (OSA) is a common often chronic disorder and its prevalence is increasing on daily basis. The causes and consequences of OSA vary for each case. Analysis of the etiology and treatment requires long-term therapy. The significance of OSA results from hypoxemia and sleep fragmentation due to collapse of the airway. A variety of medical and surgical treatments have been developed and used with varying success depending upon the individual anatomy and patient compliance. Although Continuous Positive Airway Pressure (CPAP) is the primary treatment, many patients cannot accept or tolerate this and require alternative therapies. In this scenario, surgery is often merited and useful. Surgical management is meant to address obstruction in the nasal, retro palatal, and hypopharyngeal/ retroglosaal regions. This review presents a comprehensive overview of research findings on a wide spectrum of surgical approaches currently used by clinicians when other therapeutic modalities fail to achieve positive outcomes.