The sleep apnea syndrome. Part II: Treatment

An increase in the number of obstructive sleep apnea patients has brought a paralleled demand for timely and effective treatment. Conservative measures to maintain airway patency during sleep include weight loss, lateral decubitus sleep posture, drug therapy, nasal continuous positive airway pressure, and the use of intraoral prostheses. Surgical measures are used to correct gross anatomic defects that cause or contribute to obstruction, remove redundant tissues (uvulopalatopharyngoplasty), or provide an airway below the suspected area of obstruction (tracheostomy). Part II of this article examines the rationale, benefits, disadvantages, and potential complications of each modality of treatment.