The Effect of Surgical Treatment on Obstructive Sleep Apnea

To the Editor The recent trial by Dr MacKay and colleagues, undertaken in a cohort of patients with sleep apnea, supported previous research that uvulopalatopharyngoplasty, with or without other surgical procedures, produces some benefits to patients. However, we have concerns not addressed by this trial regarding whether these benefits persist over time. In particular, we are interested to learn why the authors chose not to follow up their study cohort beyond 6 months. Furthermore, this study did not address the question of whether uvulopalatopharyngoplasty with tongue volume reduction has a greater benefit than uvulopalatopharyngoplasty with or without tonsillectomy. Comparison between techniques to establish which has the greatest benefit may be useful.
Source: JAMA - Category: General Medicine Source Type: research