Tonsillectomy May Not Be the Answer in All OSA Cases

Abstract

Tonsillectomy is considered the standard of care in patients with obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) and large tonsils; however, there are selected cases where this procedure should not be considered. We present two patients with tonsil grade 4 and severe OSA where tonsillectomy was not the solution for their problem and could be a superfluous procedure. In our experience, a preoperatory drug-induced sleep endoscopy (DISE) and proper patient phenotyping will prevent this type of surgical failure.