Efficacy of uvulopalatopharyngoplasty combined with oral appliance in treatment of obstructive sleep apnea-hypopnea syndrome

This study aimed to investigate the efficacy of UPPP combined with an oral appliance (OA) in the treatment of obstructive sleep apnea-hypopnea syndrome (OSAHS). Forty patients diagnosed with severe OSAHS were randomly divided into two groups: 20 patients in the pure surgery group treated by uvulopalatopharyngoplasty (UPPP) surgery and the remaining 20 patients in the combined treatment group for the combined application of UPPP and OA. Nocturnal PSG monitoring was performed in postoperative 0.5 and 3.0a. AHI, SaO(2), and sleep structure improvement were calculated to compare the treatment efficiency of the two groups. The AHI of the combined treatment group in the postoperative 3 was lower than that of the pure surgery group, whereas the lowest SaO(2) value was higher than that of the pure surgery group (P < 0.05). The sleep structure improvement of the combined treatment group in the postoperative 3a was possibly more normal than that of the pure surgery group. The long-term efficacy of the combined UPPP and OA for the treatment of OSAHS was higher than that of pure UPPP treatment.