Sectioning the hyoid bone as a therapeutic approach for obstructive sleep apnea.

After research studies, including systematic lateral x-rays, of normal controls and obstructive sleep apnea syndrome (OSAS) patients, we decided to perform a medial resection of the hyoid bone in OSAS patients. The procedure is similar to that performed for ductus thyreoglossus. To date, three patients have undergone the operation under anesthesia. The two cases have been followed for several months (the third underwent surgery only recently) and have improved, indicating that this procedure can be beneficial for OSAS.