Indications for palatopharyngoplasty.

A retrospective study of 30 patients was undertaken to evaluate the effectiveness of palatopharyngoplasty (PPP) for the treatment of obstructive sleep apnea (OSA). Results indicated that PPP is effective in the treatment of snoring but has a limited effect on the major indices of OSA syndrome. Thus, only 23% of the patients had a significant reduction in sleep-related apnea episodes and a reduction in the oxygen saturation deficit. An additional 23% showed some improvement in these indices. The procedure failed in the remaining 54% of the population studied. The greatest success with PPP was achieved in the patients with moderate OSA in whom fiberoptic and craniometric evaluation indicated that the obstruction was centered at the level of the velopharyngeal sphincter.