Combination therapy for severe sleep apnea syndrome

Abstract

We assessed the treatment of severe SAS (sleep apnea syndrome) patients who had an AHI (apnea hypopnea index) over 100. Eleven (3.3%) of the 374 patients who came to our hospital between May 2002 and December 2003 had an AHI over 100. They received CPAP (continuous positive airway pressure) therapy as initial therapy, and the AHI recovered within normal limit in the five patients who did not have tonsillar hypertrophy. The other six patients had tonsillar hypertrophy, and the effect of CPAP was poor. Two of the six patients with tonsillar hypertrophy, underwent UPPP (uvuropalatophatyngoplasty), and CPAP become effective postoperatively. These results indicate that combined treatment by CPAP and surgery is an effective means of treating severe SAS with tonsillar hypertrophy.