Complications of uvulopalatopharyngoplasty

Abstract

Since the introduction of uvulopalatopharyngoplasty (UVPP) life-threatening complications have been encountered. In our retrospective review of 101 patients undergoing UVPP the overall incidence of early post-operative complications was 25%. One patient died because of post-operative airway obstruction. The risk of early post-operative breathing difficulty was related to the patient's weight, previous heart disease, and severity of OSAS measured by the percentage of obstructive apnoeic episodes and minimum oxygen saturation during sleep. As late as one year after surgery 57% of patients had some kind of problem in relation to the operation, the most common complaint being nasopharyngeal regurgitation (24%). Despite these late complications over 90% of the patients reported improvement in daytime somnolence and snoring.