Sleep Apnea Surgery

Sleep apnea refers to a disease of repeated paused breaths during sleep. The patient appears to be snoring but unintentionally stops breathing multiple times overnight. While this can occur because of problems within the nervous system, sleep apnea most commonly occurs as a result of obstructions within the nose and throat.

Patients can have looser tissues at the back of the nose or mouth that droop down to block the throat. Other patients are naturally born with smaller airways and have difficulty breathing during sleep. 

Regardless of the cause, these periods of obstructed breathing results in poor sleep quality and constant exhaustion despite long hours of sleep. Studies also show that chronically poor oxygen intake could contribute to serious conditions like obesity, diabetes, and cardiovascular diseases. 

Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) can often be screened via tools like the STOP-Bang questionnaire. 

Once diagnosed, the severity of disease is determined via a sleep study where a doctor monitors the number of breathing pauses per hour (called "apnea-hypopnia index" or AHI). Depending on the AHI, the OSA is categorized as mild, moderate, or severe.

Surgical treatment depends on the location of the airflow obstruction. For patients who experience blockage at or near the nose, expansion of the nasal cavity or the space behind it may be helpful. For those who experience this at or near the throat, tongue or lower jaw surgeries could be beneficial. Many patients experience obstruction at multiple areas and require multiple treatments to overcome their issues. 

Dr. Sun continues to perform and teach different aspects of sleep surgery to numerous healthcare providers, residents, and students. He is an author of a recent textbook chapter titled Diagnosis and Management of Obstructive Sleep Apnea utilized by researchers worldwide to in treatment of their own patients.

He remains an active participant at a number of scholarly meetings, including his most recent presentation titled "Maxillomandibular Advancement with Hypoglossal Nerve Stimulation for Management of Obstructive Sleep Apnea Refractory to Traditional Treatment" conducted at the Society of Anesthesia and Sleep Medicine.