Uvulopalatopharyngoplasty: postoperative management and evaluation of results

Since the earliest report of success with the uvulopalatopharyngoplasty (UPPP) operation, several authors have reported less than optimal results in their experience with the procedure. Part of the difficulty in evaluating the objective results of postoperative sleep studies has been the variations in reporting data. In addition, no standard of postoperative care, including analgesia, and immediate postoperative monitoring has been described. Our experience with 42 UPPP patients (34 studied with preoperative and postoperative polysomnography) indicates a 76% response (56% successes, and an additional 20% with limited success) with use of the more stringent criteria described recently. We discuss our management of these cases, including postoperative oxygen saturation monitoring and avoidance of narcotic analgesia as necessary factors for success with this operation.