Objective: To examine whether patients with isolated retropalatal collapse perform as well as others following implantation with an upper airway stimulation (UAS) device.
Study design: Retrospective review.
Setting: Single-institution tertiary academic care medical center.
Subjects and methods: Following drug-induced sleep endoscopy, subjects who met inclusion criteria for implantation with a UAS device received an implant per industry standard. Subjects with isolated retropalatal collapse were compared with those having other patterns of collapse. Outcome measures included apnea-hypopnea index (AHI) and nadir oxyhemoglobin saturation (NOS).
Results: Ninety-one patients were implanted during the duration of the study, and 82 met inclusion criteria for analysis. Twenty-five had isolated retropalatal collapse, while the remaining 57 had other patterns of collapse on drug-induced sleep endoscopy. For all patients, mean preoperative AHI and NOS were 38.7 (95% CI, 35.0-42.4) and 78% (95% CI, 75%-80%), respectively; these improved postoperatively to 4.5 (95% CI, 2.3-6.6) and 91% (95% CI, 91%-92%). There was no significant preoperative difference between groups with regard to demographics, AHI, or NOS. Group comparison showed postoperative AHI to be 5.7 (95% CI, 0.57-10.8) for patients with isolated retropalatal collapse and 3.9 (95% CI, 1.7-6.1) for other patients ( P = .888). Postoperative NOS was 92% (95% CI, 90%-94%) among patients with isolated retropalatal collapse and 91% (95% CI, 90%-92%) for others ( P = .402).
Conclusions: All patients showed significant improvement following implantation with UAS. Patients with isolated retropalatal collapse showed similar improvement to other types of collapse with regard to AHI and NOS.
Keywords: Inspire implant; OSA; UAS; apnea hypopnea index; hypoglossal nerve stimulator; obstructive sleep apnea; oxyhemoglobin saturation; retropalatal collapse; upper airway stimulation.