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Updated: Aug 18, 2026
Drug-Induced Sleep Endoscopy (DISE) with Target Controlled Infusion (TCI) and Bispectral Analysis in Obstructive Sleep Apnea
Published on: December 6, 2016
Multilevel temperature-controlled radiofrequency for obstructive sleep apnea: extended follow-up
David L Steward1, Edward M Weaver, B Tucker Woodson
1Department of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, ML 0528, University of Cincinnati, Cincinnati, OH 45267-0528, USA. david.steward@uc.edu
Objective:
To determine long-term effectiveness of multilevel (tongue and palate) temperature-controlled radiofrequency tissue ablation (TCRFTA) for patients with obstructive sleep apnea syndrome (OSAS).
Study Design And Setting:
Prospective, 2-institution case series. Twenty-nine subjects with mild to moderate OSAS and who were at least 1 year from completion of multilevel TCRFTA were included, representing a subset of subjects who were enrolled in a previously published controlled trial. Exclusion criteria for this extended follow-up study included any additional treatment for OSAS after completion of TCRFTA.
Results:
Median follow-up was 23 months. Daytime sleepiness and OSAS-related quality of life were significantly improved at extended follow-up (both P < 0.001). Median reaction time testing and apnea-hypopnea index (AHI) were also significantly improved at long-term follow-up (P = 0.03 and 0.01). Body mass index was unchanged (P = 0.94).
Conclusions:
Multilevel TCRFTA treatment of mild to moderate OSAS resulted in prolonged improvement in daytime somnolence, OSAS-related quality of life, psychomotor vigilance, and AHI in this group of subjects at extended follow-up.
