Transoral robotic partial glossectomy and supraglottoplasty for obstructive sleep apnea

The standard treatment for patients with obstructive sleep apnea syndrome is positive airway pressure (PAP) therapy (continuous PAP, bilevel PAP, or auto titrating PAP). Alternative therapies for patients who cannot tolerate PAP therapy include the use of oral appliances or upper airway surgery. The base of tongue plays an important role in this obstruction, and addressing the tongue base surgically can be a challenge for head and neck surgeons. Transoral robotic surgery using the da Vinci Surgical System provides a safe and effective way to approach and manage the base of tongue and supraglottis. Transoral robotic surgery offers clear advantages over alternative endoscopic and open procedures. These advantages include wide-field high-definition 3-dimensional visualization; precise instrumentation; and when compared with open procedures, less operative time, quicker recovery, no external scars, and comparable tissue resection.