Tongue reduction for OSAHS: TORSs vs coblations, technologies vs techniques, apples vs oranges.

Coblation tongue surgery and Trans-oral robotic surgery (TORS) proved to be the most published therapeutical options for the treatment of patients affected by obstructive sleep apneas (OSAHS). A systematic review of the literature and an analysis of the data are presented. The mean rates of failure were 34.4 and 38.5 %, respectively in TORS and Coblation groups. Complications occurred in 21.3 % of the patients treated with TORS and in 8.4 % of the patients treated with Coblation surgery. TORS seems to give slightly better results, allowing a wider surgical view and a measurable, more consistent removal of lingual tissue. However, the higher rate of minor complication and the significant costs of TORS must also be considered. Moreover, both technologies may be applied to a wide range of surgical techniques, each of them with different effectiveness.

The interpretation of compact polysomnography/polygraphy in sleep breathing disorders patients: a validation's study.

The Otorhinolaryngologist (ENT) frequently has to deal with OSA or suspicious OSA patients and undergone polysomnography (PSG) or portable monitoring (PM) and should be confident about the quality and consistency of the polysomnographic diagnosis. The main polysomnographic traces compressed in a unique epoch, defined as compact PSG/PM (CP), could represent an efficient tool to confirm the quality of PSG/PM Sleep Breathing Disorders diagnosis. This is a validation's study of a CP interpretation's method, analyzing the learning curve, the level of diagnostic accuracy, and the inter-operator agreement in interpreting the CP pattern between a group of ENT specialists not skilled in PSG/PM scoring, but managing SBD patients during daily practice. Seven ENT specialists have been enrolled in the study. 50 CP traces (ranging from normal to all main SBD patterns) have been showed to each participant for the interpretation and scoring process, before and after a 2-h theoretical-practical interactive lesson, focusing on the recognition of the four main oximetric patterns on CP traces (normal, phasic, prolonged, and overlap patterns). RESULTS: before and after the theoretical-practical interactive lesson, the whole diagnostic accuracy in interpreting the 50 CP has been reported improved from 0.12 to 0.80 (median 0.52) to 0.82-0.96 (median 0.92) (p = 0.006) and the inter-scorers' agreement showed a kappa value increased from of 0.18 to 0.75 (p < 0.0001). A complete clinical diagnostic evaluation is essential in OSA patients and the ENT specialist should be concerned to verify if the patient, suitable for surgical therapy, is affected really by an isolated form of OSA. The CP interpretation allows a checking of the proper nosographic SBD framework and could be significantly important for all ENT specialists not skilled in PSG/PM scoring, but managing SBD patients during daily practice. The data reported in our validation's study showed that the CP interpretation's method is easy to apply, with a rapid learning curve. The level of diagnostic accuracy is high with a high inter-scorer agreement in interpreting the CP patterns.

Transoral robotic surgery for the management of obstructive sleep apnea: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

Obstructive sleep apnea-hypopnea syndrome (OSAHS) is a serious social health problem with significant implications on quality of life. Surgery for OSAHS has been criticized due to a lack of evidence to support its efficacy as well as the heterogeneous reporting of published outcomes. Moreover, the transoral robotic surgery (TORS) in the management of OSAHS is still in a relative infancy. Nevertheless, a review and meta-analysis of the published articles may be helpful. Among 195 articles, eight studies were included in the analysis. The mean of enrolled patients was 102.5 ± 107.9 (range 6-289) comprising a total of 820 cases. The mean age was 49 ± 3.27 and 285 patients underwent a previous sleep apnea surgery. The uvulopalatopharyngoplasty (UPPP) was the most common palatal procedure. The mean rate of failure was 34.4 % (29.5-46.2 %). Complications occurred in 21.3 % of the patients included in the analysis, most of them were classified as minor. Transient dysphagia represented the most common complication (7.2 %) followed by bleeding (4.2 %). TORS for the treatment of OSAHS appears to be a promising and safe procedure for selected patients seeking an alternative to continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP), although further researches are urgently needed.

The temporalis muscle flap for reconstruction of soft palate and lateral oropharyngeal wall after transoral robotic surgery.

Trans Oral robotic surgery (TORS) is a prominent surgical approach for the resection of oropharyngeal tumors without division of the lip and mandible. The current practice following TORS is to allow the defect to heal by secondary intention, but some defects following TORS are large and complex enough to benefit soft-tissue coverage. In the free flap era, regional flaps are often overlooked albeit they still represent a valid alternative. In terms of cost-effectiveness, the use of alternative pedicled flaps in TORS framework probably reduced the risks of postoperative complications, with consequent expenditure restraints and reducing treatment costs arising from operating room duration and double surgical team. In this report we described the successfully use of the pedicled temporalis muscle flap for the reconstruction of the soft palate and lateral pharyngeal wall following TORS. This versatile and reliable flap may be a valid option in TORS framework.