100% Success Rate for Sleep Apnea Surgery?

January 7, 2013

Maxillo-mandibular advancement (MMA) surgery has been around a long time for obstructive sleep apnea. It has a good track record with high success rates raging from 80-95%. Here’s a study showing that that the success rate was 100%. In Dr. Prinsell’s 50 patients, the apnea hypopnea index (AHI) dropped from 59 to 5, and the apnea index (AI) dropped from 35 to 1. Success was defined as the AHI < 15, AI < 5, and the low oxygen saturation > 80%, and the AHI and AI dropping more than 60%.

MMA surgery is one of the bread and butter procedures for most oral surgeons. However,  different surgeons have different success rates for obstructive sleep apnea. If you’re considering this procedure, ask about results specifically for obstructive sleep apnea.

One thing to note is that just because the AHI dropped significantly doesn’t mean that you’ll always feel dramatically better, or that the results will last for a long time. These are issues that need to be addressed, like with any surgical procedure for obstructive sleep apnea.

Written by Steven Park · Filed Under Blog 
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One Response to “100% Success Rate for Sleep Apnea Surgery?”

  1. Eric Kezirian, MD, MPH on January 10th, 2013 2:28 pm

    I completely agree that the 100% success rate figure quoted in this paper is not true for the typical sleep apnea patient (where the success rates are in the 80-95% range, as you mention). I perform MMA and believe that it is a very useful procedure for the treatment of obstructive sleep apnea. However, the substantial risks and recovery period require caution before recommending it as the only sleep apnea surgery, as a review paper supported by the American Academy of Sleep Medicine has done. Basically, it is somewhat similar to using a sledgehammer to drive in a nail. My own research has shown that many patients will flat-out refuse it, and there are certainly many other surgical options for those patients who cannot tolerate CPAP.

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