Treatment of obstructive sleep apnea-hypopnea syndrome with radiofrequency volumetric tissue reduction collaborating upper-airway procedure

Objective To investigate the efficacy and value of radiofrequency volumetric tissue reduction(RFVTR) in treatment of obstructive sleep apnea-hypopnea syndrome(OSAHS).Method According to the preoperative diagnosis of obstructive level,86 patients with OSAHS were treated by RFVTR.A all night polysomnography(PSG) examination was performed before and six months after operation for all the patients.Meanwhile the apnea hypopnea index(AHI),lowest arterial oxygen saturation(LSaO2) and the Epworth sleepiness scale(ESS),Stanford sleepiness scale(SSS),and the Calgary sleep apnea quality of life index(SAQLI) were assessed.The final efficacy was then evaluated.Results All the operative procedures were carried out nicely.The comprehensive efficacy in the 86 patients was then assessed.The outcomes were as follows: the recovery rate was 34.9%,the excellent rate was 41.9%,and the effective rate was 18.6%,making a total effective rate of 95.3%.After RFVTR,the AHI was decreased from 44.8±22.6 to 30.5±21.6;the LSaO2 was increased from 72.5±9.5 to 76.7±8.7;the ESS was decreased from 15.3±4.4 to 11.6±4.1,the SSS was decreased from 6.1±1.6 to 5.2±1.7 and the SAQLI increased from 3.9±1.1 to 4.7±1.2.After the operation of RFVTR,the degree of lethargy in daytime,the level of snoring and the quality of life of patients were improved obviously(P0.05).All the improvement mentioned above was significant(P0.05).Conclusion Being an effective treatment for OSAHS,RFVTR is a simple,safe,repeatable and acceptable surgical procedure,which may admirably improve the life quality of the OSAHS sufferers.