Where sleep apnea is caused by one of the many physical deformties, surgical correction of the deformity is often effective in curing sleep apneas. For instance, fixing a deviated septum may help to open the nasal passages, or removing enlarged tonsils, adenoids or polyps may help also. These treatments are most effective with children.

Typcial adult corrective surgery includes:

Tracheostomy
Uvulo-Palato-Pharyngoplasty [UPPP]
Mandibular Myotomy
Laser Assisted Uvuloplasty [LAUP]

Tracheostomy

A tracheostomy is a surgical procedure used in extreme cases to avoid respiratory distress or other serious medical consequences of sleep apnea.

It consists of a small hole is cut in the front of neck and a tube with a valve is inserted into the hole.

During the day the valve is closed, to allow the person to speak.

At night, the valve is opened, preventing obstructions.

Uvulo-Palato-Pharyngoplasty (UPPP)

This procedure is easiest understood by defining the parts of the body it refers to:

Uvulo - the uvula is the fleshy tissue hanging in the back of the throat

Palato - the palate is the upper part of the mouth

Pharyngo - the pharynx is the opening to the windpipe [and oesophagus].

Pharyngoplasty - plastic surgery of the pharynx

In this procedure, the uvula is removed along with excess tissue. Its success rate is around 50:50, and is used when other procedures cannot be tolerated. It can result in scar tissue, requiring the patient to still use a C-PAP machine.

Mandibular Myotomy

This procedure stops the tongue from falling back, obstructing the airways.

Mandibular - refers to the mandible, the lower jaw

Myotomy - surgical division of a muscle.

The procedure involves a rectangular piece of bone in the front part portion of the mandible being cut. This is where the tongue muscles are attached. The piece of bone is pulled outward, rotated 90 degrees and reattached . This pulls the tongue forward six to ten millimeters and almost always eliminates the sleep-related obstruction.

The procedure includes what is known as genioglossis, chin and tongue, advancement.,

This surgery is only performed by specialist surgeons in ENT surgery and maxillofacial surgery.

Laser Assisted Uvuloplasty [LAUP]

Laser Assisted Uvuloplasty is a surgical procedure to relieve snoring by removing the uvula and surrounding tissue. This opens the airway behind the palate.

Somnoplasty

Somnoplasty is a more recent procedure for snoring and sleep apneas. More on Somnoplasty