Comparing Upper Airway Stimulation to Expansion Sphincter Pharyngoplasty: A Single University Experience

Expansion sphincter pharyngoplasty (ESP) is a surgical option for patients with obstructive sleep apnea (OSA). Upper airway stimulation (UAS) is an alternative that has shown success in initial outcomes studies. We compare outcomes of a cohort of patients undergoing UAS to ESP.

We compared demographic and polysomnographic data of the UAS to ESP cohorts. We also calculated the proportion of patients achieving surgical success.

The ESP cohort consisted of 33 patients. The mean preoperative Apnea-Hypopnea Index (AHI), O₂ nadir, Epworth Sleepiness Scale (ESS), and BMI were 36.47 ± 20.01, 82.63 ± 5.37, 10.69 ± 4.42, and 29.6 ± 4.49, which improved to 13.47 ± 18.74, 84.84 ± 5.48, 7.00 ± 5.81, and 29.92 ± 4.59 postoperatively. There was a 63.64% success rate. The UAS cohort consisted of 75 patients. The mean preoperative AHI, O₂ nadir, ESS, and BMI were 36.76 ± 20.72, 80.24 ± 8.43, 11.18 ± 4.16, and 29.50 ± 3.96, which improved to 7.25 ± 11.19, 88.71 ± 3.25, 5.36 ± 3.35, and 29.36 ± 3.68 postoperatively. The success rate was 86.67%. We found a significant difference in gender, age, preoperative AHI, postoperative AHI, postoperative O₂ nadir, surgical success, and patients reaching an AHI less than 10 and 5.

Upper airway stimulation is a new surgical option for select patients with OSA showing comparable or improved outcomes to a cohort of patients undergoing ESP.