Barbed Pharyngoplasty for Snoring: Does It Meet the Expectations? A Systematic Review

Area of Science:

• Otolaryngology
• Sleep Medicine
• Surgical Innovation

Background:

• Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) and snoring significantly impact patient quality of life.
• Retropalatal collapse and vibration are common causes of snoring and OSA.
• Barbed sutures are increasingly utilized in surgical procedures.

Purpose of the Study:

• To systematically review the efficacy of barbed sutures in treating snoring and OSA.
• To analyze subjective improvements in snoring severity following barbed suture procedures.

Main Methods:

• Systematic review of clinical studies involving barbed sutures for snoring treatment.
• Qualitative analysis of six studies (five on barbed pharyngoplasty, one minimally invasive).
• Included 176 patients aged 26-58 years.

Main Results:

• Significant improvement in snoring Visual Analog Scale (VAS) scores (mean gain of 5.67).
• Preoperative VAS: 8.35 ± 1.17; Postoperative VAS: 2.68 ± 1.27.
• No major complications reported.

Conclusions:

• Barbed sutures may be a valid therapeutic option for carefully selected snoring and OSA patients.
• Statistically significant subjective improvement in snoring parameters observed.
• Further large-scale, extended follow-up studies are necessary to validate these results.