Minimally invasive palatal surgery for obstructive sleep apnea.

Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) is a common condition in Thai population characterized by recurrent episodes of apnea during sleep. Patients may have detrimental consequences and the management of OSA is complex and challenging. Many patients respond to medical treatments including weight loss, body position training, oral appliances and continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP). Although medical intervention fails, surgical procedure is the alternative options to improve the upper airway patency Many palatal surgical procedures have been introduced to alleviate upper airway obstruction. However most procedures are invasive, destructive, painful, also associated with significant morbidity. Recently, minimally invasive surgery also achieves the same results as the invasive procedures with less postoperative risks. The treatment outcomes have now been validated by many centers in appropriately selected patients. The types, results and complications of the procedures are reviewed.