Implantable hypoglossal nerve stimulation for obstructive sleep apnea hypopnea syndrome

Obstructive sleep apnea hypopnea syndrome (OSAHS) is a common sleep disorder, which greatly influences human health. However, the exact underlying mechanism remains unclear. It’s well known that dysfunction of upper airway dilator muscles is one of the risk factors of OSAHS. In addition, genioglossus innervated by the hypoglossal nerve plays significant roles in maintaining patency of the airway. It's reported that directly stimulating whether genioglossus or the medial trunk of hypoglossal nerve could make the tongue move forward, expand volume of pharyngeal cavity, and consequently increase airflow rate. Furthermore, previous studies focusing on the physiology of upper airway provide theoretical basis for hypoglossal nerve stimulation as a treatment of OSAHS. In this review, we focused on the efficacy of implantable hypoglossal nerve stimulation for OSAHS and summarized latest research progress of it. Key words: Sleep Apnea, Obstructive; Hypoglossal Nerve; Electrical Stimulation