Partial epiglottectomy improves residual apnea-hypopnea index in patients with epiglottis collapse

Continuous positive airway pressure treatment aggravates airway obstruction in patients with epiglottis collapse. In these patients, partial epiglottectomy can resolve epiglottis collapse by partial excision of the obstructed epiglottis. However, patients with epiglottic collapse usually have simultaneous obstructions on multiple levels, such as the soft palate, base of the tongue, etc. Therefore, sleep apnea cannot be controlled merely by resolving epiglottis collapse. The use of additional continuous positive airway pressure treatment after partial epiglottectomy is considered essential. However, no studies have yet evaluated the effect of partial epiglottectomy on continuous positive airway pressure treatment. In this study, we report on 2 patients with obstructive sleep apnea who underwent partial epiglottectomy. These 2 patients used autotitrating positive airway pressure treatment pre- and postoperatively. The present case report will provide insight into the effects of partial epiglottectomy on the use of positive-pressure devices.