Because adults with sleep apnea have restricted or smaller airways then people who do not suffer from this sleep disorder, surgical procedures to enlarge the airway might be

the right treatment for some individuals. A surgical procedure will open the airway be reducing the size of the soft tissue around the back of the throat or expanding the jaw structure. Another option is to reduce the laxity of the upper airway through surgery which would also lessons obstructions.

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Before undertaking such a procedure as surgery, a physician would have to determine if a patient would be a good candidate for such a process. Once this is determined, then which type of course of action would work best for what the physician sees from the test results. A patient will have to undergo a series of tests in order to determine how severe their obstructive sleep apnea is. A fiberoptic nasopharyngoscopy test, a lateral cephalometric radiograph and a clinical examination will all be performed on the patient to determine what would be the best way to approach the obstructive airway.

Nevertheless, one of the only procedures that have been shown to have a consistent amount of success is the maxillomandibular. There are several less invasive actions, however they are also more unpredictable and that means less successful. Depending in the severity of the obstructiveness, this will dictate how invasive the surgery will need to be.

A surgeon's first attempts are usually those with less surgical morbidity such as genioglossus/hyoid advancement and uvulopalatopharyngoplasty or uvulopalatal flap. The patient is given a healing period of up to six months and then a polysomnogram is taken to determine if the surgery was a success or not. If it was not as the surgeon had expected, then the maxillomandibular advancement is performed.

The uvulopalatopharyngoplasty or uvulopalatal flap procedure is considered the phase I process and would be done at one time. If it does not take, then the maxillomandibular advancement is performed as phase II and at a much later date. There are times in which a patient will be considered for the maxillomandibular advancement as the only phase because they have underlying circumstances such as being morbidly obese, their obstructive sleep apnea is so severe or they want the best chance of recovery in a single surgical procedure.

The maxillomandibular advancement process moves the lower jaw and the upper jaw forward so that the airways can be enlarged. It is performed on patients with severe deformity of the jaw, which could cause the obstructive sleep apnea, on those who have moderate to severe sleep apnea and on those who have tried other types of procedures but they didn't work.

The other types of surgeries for obstructive sleep apnea include nasal surgery, radio frequency to reduce the soft tissue, tongue and palate. There is also a maxillomandibular expansion in which the jaw is cut into in order to make more space for the air. There is usually a small amount of facial change, which most people find favorable and an individual's speech and swallowing ability is not affected by this procedure.

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