Lateral Pharyngoplasty is an operation of soft palate and throat; we like to perform in our practice for patients with mild to severe obstructive sleep apnea. This procedure may be preformed with other procedures such as genioglossal advancement. In comparison to Uvulopalatopharyngoplasty (UPPP) the Lateral Pharyngoplasty produces a greater radius of opening in the soft palate and throat area providing a widen area for air exchange. By preserving much of the soft palate and uvula function there are less chances of hyper-nasal speech (VPI) or regurgitation of fluids into the nasal cavity in comparison to UPPP.

The main functions of the soft palate and uvula are to block passage of air into the nasal cavity during speech, as well as liquids during swallowing. The glandular secretions of the soft palate help keep the back of the tongue and throat moisturized and aid in the swallowing mechanism. In recent research it has been demonstrated that the lateral throat walls are floppy and contribute to obstructive sleep apnea more so than the soft palate. In Standard UPPP the soft palate and the uvula are aggressively shortened to increase the air way radius and place tension on the soft palate more so than the lateral throat walls. In Lateral Pharyngoplasty the soft palate is shorted to a degree to preserve function and the lateral throat walls are placed in tension more so than UPPP to increase the radius of air passage in patients with obstructive sleep apnea.

Lateral Pharyngoplasty is preformed at a hospital setting under general anesthesia with 24 hours post surgical monitor or longer depending on patient’s medical condition and severity of obstructive sleep apnea. This procedure is also preformed at an out patient surgical setting with general anesthesia with 12 hours or less monitoring depending if the patient has only mild obstructive sleep apnea and no morbid medical condition. Patients generally complain of sore throat, difficulty swallowing and changes in speech which is temporary. The procedure also has a number of potentially serious complications including:

• Infection. Preventive antibiotics administered an hour before surgery can help reduce this risk.
• Failure and recurrence of apnea. In such cases, CPAP is often less effective afterward.
• Opening of wounds

In conclusion we believe that the Lateral Pharyngoplasty has a higher rate of success and lesser degree of complications in comparison to UPPP. This can not be generalized for every patient. In our practice we take into considerations the anatomy of the patient and the diagnostic exams prior to committing a patient to a particular procedure. The UPPP is a valid and widely excepted procedure that we still perform in our practice for certain patients. The UPPP is the gold standard for surgical procedures involving the soft palate to compare to.