Transoral robotic surgery of the tongue base for obstructive sleep apnea: Preliminary results.

Introduction: Obstructive sleep apnea syndrome (OSAS) is a major public health issue. Robotic tongue-base reduction surgery is being developed, but needs assessment. The present study reports clinical and polygraphic results at 6 months' follow-up.

Method: Single-center prospective study of 8 patients undergoing transoral robotic surgery (TORS) for severe OSAS.

Results: Mean age was 47 years. M/F sex ratio was 5:3. Initial body-mass index ranged from 18 to 35kg/m. Mean Epworth score was 12. Mean preoperative apnea-hypopnea index (AHI) was 47 (range, 36-60). At 6 months, only 1 patient did not meet usual success criteria (AHI<20 with>50% decrease); 2 patients had residual AHI between 10 and 20; the other 5 had non-significant event rates.

Conclusion: TORS tongue-base reduction showed promising results, which need confirmation on long-term multicenter studies.