Effectiveness of Treating Obstructive Sleep Apnea by Surgeries and Continuous Positive Airway Pressure: Evaluation...

Background/Objectives: Uvulopalatopharyngoplasty (UPPP), palatal plus nasal surgery (PNS), and continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) are widely implemented treatments for obstructive sleep apnea (OSA). This study aims to explore the long-term effects on objective sleep parameters and patient-reported outcomes (PROs) following different therapeutic interventions for OSA. Methods: Data from patients with moderate-to-severe OSA were retrospectively collected from a medical center and a regional hospital, spanning from December 2011 to August 2018. Objective evaluations included the Apnea-Hypopnea Index (AHI), minimum O₂ saturation, and sleep efficiency. The PROs consisted of the Snore Outcomes Survey and Epworth Sleepiness Scale. Using mixed-effects models, we evaluated longitudinal changes in sleep parameters and PROs, accounting for repeated measures and variations within individuals over time. Results: Among 448 patients with moderate-to-severe OSA, follow-up data were collected for 42 patients undergoing UPPP surgery, 171 undergoing PNS, 127 using CPAP, and 108 in the non-treated group. The mean follow-up was 16.7 months (SD = 11.9, range: 1.6-77.3). Significant improvements were observed in AHI, minimum O₂ saturation, and hypersomnia immediately following interventions with UPPP, PNS, and CPAP therapy (p < 0.05). Moreover, the analysis revealed no significant rate of change in these parameters over time, suggesting that the benefits of these treatments were sustained in the long term. Furthermore, all interventions exhibited a significant short-term effect on self-reported snoring when compared to the control group, with a p-value of less than 0.001. However, the magnitude of this improvement gradually decreased over time. The snore scores seemed to return to pre-treatment levels among the UPPP, PNS, and CPAP groups after averages of 46.4, 63.5, and 74.4 months, respectively (all p < 0.05). Conclusions: Surgical interventions and CPAP therapy showed potential long-term effectiveness in managing OSA. Snoring symptoms reappeared about 3.9-5.3 years after surgical treatments, which seemed earlier than the average of 6.2 years in patients receiving CPAP and should be considered in patient-participatory decision-making processes.