The Characteristics of Five Patients with Obstructive Sleep Apnea Whose Apnea-Hypopnea Index Deteriorated after Uvulopalatopharyngoplasty

The objective of this retrospective, consecutive, case series design study was to determine the number of unselected patients with obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) who deteriorated after uvulopalatopharyngoplasty (UPPP). Sixteen of 27 patients at the Sleep Clinic at Veterans Affairs Medical Center who underwent UPPP for OSA and who completed both a pre- and postpolysomnogram were studied. After comparing the apnea-hypopnea index (AHI) before and after UPPP, three groups of patients were identified: deteriorators, unchanged, and improvers. In five patients (31%), the AHI increased by more than 10% after UPPP (deteriorators); in four (25%), the AHI showed a change in either direction of less than 10% (unchanged); and in the remaining seven (44%), the AHI decreased by more than 10% after UPPP (improvers). The AHI deteriorated in five of 16 (31%) unselected patients with OSA in our clinic population who underwent UPPP. The mean pre-UPPP AHI was lower in the patients who deteriorated relative to all other patients (P = 0.02). We suggest that patients who undergo UPPP should have a post-UPPP polysomnogram to determine whether they have improved or deteriorated after the procedure and that alternative forms of treatment may be needed in some patients.