0000000000718956
AUTHOR
Yvonne Fischer
Multilevel temperature-controlled radiofrequency therapy of soft palate, base of tongue, and tonsils in adults with obstructive sleep apnea.
Objectives/hypothesis The concept of two-level pharyngeal collapse in patients with obstructive sleep apnea is too simplified. Aggressive multilevel surgeries addressing several airway segments, including skeletal surgery, demonstrate improved success rates. Study design The study aimed to evaluate the safety and efficacy of multilevel radiofrequency application to soft palate, tonsils, and base of tongue in 16 white patients (mean age, 56.9 +/- 11.1 y; mean body mass index, 27.3 +/- 2.6 kg/m2) with obstructive sleep apnea. There was one dropout. Therapeutic effects after one treatment session were assessed 20.6 +/- 12.6 weeks postoperatively. Treatment outcome measurements were based on Ep…
Radiofrequency volumetric tissue reduction (RFVTR) of inferior turbinates: a new method in the treatment of chronic nasal obstruction.
Twenty-two Caucasians (16 male and 6 female) with chronic bilateral nasal obstruction due to hypertrophic inferior turbinates were followed up over a three-month period. They were assessed by clinical examination, as active anterior rhinometry, and acoustic rhinometry before and after topical decongestion, preoperatively and three months after surgery. All patients were treated by application of radiofrequency-volumetric-tissue reduction (RFVTR, or somnoplasty) to both inferior turbinates. Initial postoperative edematous response disappeared during the first week after RFVTR. Three months postoperatively 20 of 22 patients (91%) reported subjective improvement of nasal patency. The average …