Re: UPPP and Genioglossal Advancement

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Re: UPPP and Genioglossal Advancement

Posted by sean on January 19, 2001 at 15:51:04:
In Reply to: UPPP and Genioglossal Advancement posted by Maria on January 19, 2001 at 10:35:54:
Maria,
If you're up to it, you might want to read the published medical papers on Phase I Surgery (UPPP and genioglossus advacement (GA)) and Phase II Surgery (maxillo-mandibular advancement (MMA) i.e. the "jaw realignment"). This is at Medscape. You'll need to register at the site to gain access to the documents, but it's really easy to do:
"Overview of Phase I Surgery for Obstructive Sleep Apnea Syndrome"
www.medscape.com/medquest/ENT/1999/v78.n11/ent7811.li/ent7811.li-01.html

"Overview of Phase II Surgery for Obstructive Sleep Apnea Syndrome"
www.medscape.com/medquest/ENT/1999/v78.n11/ent7811.03.li/ent7811.03.li-01.html

I haven't had the GA or the MMA done yet, but I'm thinking about it. A few people on this forum have had it done. (The place where they do alot of these oral/maxillofacial surgeries is Stanford. They mention several thousand GA's in the last decade or so. I went there an year ago for consultation. FWIW, they told me that with the GA you'll most likely feel some numbness in the lower front teeth and front part of the lower lip for a few months. Also the tongue may feel "out of place" for awhile since it's pulled forward. But after several months everything should feel pretty much back to normal. All and all it's supposedly a relatively "simple" procedure with relatively mild post-surgical difficulties and/or pain. That also seems to be the feedback I've been hearing in this forum for the last year and a half ago since I've joined. With the UPPP you're going to experience alot of pain and difficulty for about a week. Alot of people on this forum have had this done. It's one of the most commonly performed surgical procedures for sleep apnea and yet one of the least effective. (Check out my recent post explaining this in www.sleepnet.com/noncpap3/messages/850.html). With the MMA there's alot more involved. I hear that recovery can be very difficult, the jaw is wired shut for a few weeks, etc, etc since you're breaking and resetting both the upper and lower jaw).

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