Ask Dr. Park: Cutting Edge Surgical Options for Sleep Apnea

February 2, 2012

Please join me on Tuesday, February 22nd at 8 PM Eastern for my next Ask Dr. Park Teleseminar. This month, I’m going to do a presentation on the latest in surgical treatment options for obstructive sleep apnea.

Registration details will be made available about one week prior to the event.

Written by Steven Park · Filed Under Expert Interviews | 1 Comment

Ask Dr. Park: Any Question About Surgery for Sleep Apnea

September 2, 2011

In this Ask Dr. Park teleseminar, I answer your questions about surgical options for obstructive sleep apnea.

List of questions answered will be updated shortly.

Written by Steven Park · Filed Under Expert Interviews | 7 Comments

Sleep Apnea Surgery Controversies

April 23, 2011

At SleepGuide.com, I responded to a post that referenced Dr. Kasey Li’s answer to a question about sleep apnea surgery. There are a number of important points that summarizes things you should consider if you’re ever going to consider sleep apnea surgery. Here’s the link to the discussion.

What’s your opinion on this debate?

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Maxillomandibular Advancement for Obstructive Sleep Apnea: Is It Right For You?

November 11, 2009

With all the surgical options for obstructive sleep apnea, maxillomandibular advancement (or the MMA) is not mentioned too often as a first line treatment option. Historically, it’s thought to be a big procedure with lots of potential complications, and a long recovery.

The MMA involves cutting the upper and lower jaws and pushing it forward 1 cm or more and fixing it in place using plates and screws. It’s typically reserved for patients that can’t tolerate CPAP, or who’ve failed other soft tissue procedures.

A recent paper published in Otolaryngology – Head & Neck Surgery reported on the complications of 59 patients that underwent this procedure. They reported an 80% success rate with no serious complications. Minor complications included 6 cases of fixation plate infection requiring removal, 2 cases of minor bleeding and one case of vein inflammation. Ninety-four percent reported numbness of the lip area immediately after the procedure, and after 18 months, 52% still complained of numbness.

Despite these complications, the vast majority (94%) were happy with the overall results and would recommend the procedure to family and friends. Many patients were also happy that although their facial appearance changed (usually for the better), they also looked younger, which is due to the facial stretching effect of the procedure.

Overall, success rates for the MMA are reported to be from 80% up to 97%. This is much better than multi-level soft tissue surgeries which are no better than 80%. In this particular study, the average distance the jaws were moved was .7 cm, which is much less than what’s typically achieved (over 1 cm). Also, many of the patients that “failed” had large tonsils and bulky soft palate tissues, in addition to being more overweight.

Perhaps one way of increasing the overall chances of success if to address any soft tissue areas of obstruction first, and of the 20 or so percent that don’t respond, offer them the MMA procedure. It’s also important to move the jaws the maximum distance possible, but that’s not as easy as it sounds.

Granted this procedure is not for everyone, but once you begin to look at surgical options, you should at least know about what’s involved the the MMA.

To listen to an interview with Stanford University surgeon Dr. Kasey Li, click here.

Written by Steven Park · Filed Under Blog | 14 Comments