Efficacy of radiofrequency tissue ablation in the treatment of snoring and mild to moderate obstructive sleep apnea syndrome
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2011-09-16 |
Radiofrequency tissue ablation (RFTA) has been proposed to improve airway patency with less morbidity than traditional surgical approaches for snoring and Obstructive Sleep Apnea Syndrome (OSAS). While multiple treatment sessions (three to five) are generally carried out to achieve satisfactory outcomes, we hypothesized that enlarged radiofrequency energy delivery per session may reduce the number of treatment sessions. Hence, the aim of this study was to assess the efficacy and safeness of surgical protocol with enlarged radiofrequency energy delivery in the treatment of snoring and mild to moderate OSAS. METHODS 65 snoring and mild to moderate OSAS patients underwent two sessions of RFTA treatment (CelonLab ENT system) at the palatal (for simple snoring patients) or at the palatal and tongue base levels (for OSAS patients) within the interval from 6 to 8 weeks. 9 lesions (power setting of 10 W) at the palatal level were made per session. 8 lesions (power setting of 6 W) were made per session at the tongue base level. The baseline and post treatment polysomnography and clinical tests battery consisting of Visual Analogue Scales (VAS), Sleep Apnea Quality of Life Index (SAQLI), Spielberg’s Trait–State Anxiety Inventory, Beck Depression Inventory-Second Edition (BDI-II), and Epworth Sleepiness Scale (ESS) were applied to assess the outcomes. RESULTS Snoring and mild to moderate OSAS patients demonstrated statistically significantly reduced post-treatment mean VAS values for the most of OSAS related complaints. A marked improvement in sleepiness (ESS score 6.92±3.43 v.s. 8.46±3.57, p<0.001), trait anxiety (38.29±8.93 v.s. 41.74±8.85, p<0.001), depressivity (BDI-II score 6.80±6.56 v.s. 10.89±9.52, p<0.001) and health related quality of life (SAQLI score 5.28±0.78 v.s. 4.71±0.80, p<0.001) was observed after patients were treated. [...].