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Objectives: The aim of this study was to assess long-term satisfaction with new pharyngoplasty techniques and combined surgical procedures for the treatment of snoring and obstructive sleep apnoea (OSA).
Methods: Patients with habitual snoring or OSA who had undergone surgery between January 2009 and December 2014 were invited to the otolaryngology department to complete a specially prepared questionnaire. The surgical procedures were anterior palatoplasty, Cahali lateral pharyngoplasty, expansion sphincter pharyngoplasty and combinations of these velopharyngeal surgeries with tongue base surgery.
Results: In total, 113 patients with a mean post-operative period of 39.8 months were evaluated. According to the responses to the questionnaire, 88 (77.8%) patients were satisfied with the surgical interventions. Ninety of the 113 (79.6%) patients indicated that they would undergo sleep apnoea surgery again if their symptoms returned. Among the different types of surgical procedures, the patients who had undergone expansion sphincter pharyngoplasty had the highest satisfaction scores and the highest rate of ‘willingness to undergo OSA surgery again’. Among the 113 patients, 27 patients (23.9%) had long-term complaints, which were mostly minor.
Conclusion: This study demonstrates that patients are relatively satisfied with the long-term outcomes of new pharyngoplasty procedures for snoring and OSA, despite the well-known complications and side effects of these surgeries. Given the long-term satisfaction rates, surgeons could recommend these surgical procedures to patients who cannot tolerate or are unwilling to undergo positive airway pressure (PAP) therapy.