Transpalatal advancement pharyngoplasty

The goal of surgery for obstructive sleep apnea is to reconstruct the upper airway to prevent obstruction during sleep. Unfortunately, traditional techniques suffer from technical failure. To better address technical failure, a method of reconstructing the upper pharynx by performing a posterior maxillary osteotomy and advancing the soft palate anteriorly (posterior palatal osteotomy and palatal advancement flap) is described. Results demonstrate both structural and clinical improvements compared to more traditional uvulopalatopharyngoplasty.