Following a review of clinical research, the International Surgical Sleep Society (ISSS) recently published a position statement supporting hyoid suspension as a safe and effective approach in the medical and surgical management of obstructive sleep apnea (OSA).
The International Surgical Sleep Society states: “Hyoid myotomy/suspension (HS), whether performed separately or combined with other upper airway procedures, is considered effective and non-investigational as part of the comprehensive surgical management of symptomatic adult patients with mild obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) and adult patients with moderate and severe OSA assessed as having tongue base or hypopharyngeal obstruction.”
The position notes four decades of clinical research demonstrating the viability of hyoid suspension as an effective treatment for OSA, including referencing a multi-center study using AIRLIFT techniques for a series of thirty-nine patients undergoing hyoid myotomy and suspension combined with uvulopalatopharyngoplasty. 76.9% patients had surgical success with a mean apnea-hypopnea index reduction of 69%, from 49.9 +/-25.6 to 15.4 +/-14.9 (p < .001).
“AIRLIFT offers a unique alternative for patients who failed CPAP, have epiglottic collapse, or do not qualify for hypoglossal nerve stimulation, or who simply are looking for an OSA treatment option whose treatment action doesn’t require any additional patient action,” says Peter Martin, CEO of Siesta Medical, which manufactures AIRLIFT and the Encore System, in a release. “Historically, hyoid suspension approaches for treating these patients have been viewed as difficult or dependent on appropriate patient anatomy for success. AIRLIFT hyoid suspension helps to correct both these issues, and the position statement from ISSS offers additional confidence in the effectiveness of the procedure.”
AIRLIFT hyoid suspension involves advancing the hyoid bone and suspending it with two miniature implants and suture. Due to the muscle attachments on the hyoid bone, the procedure allows a narrow or blocked airway to open and become more stable during sleep. The procedure can prevent epiglottic collapse by tensioning the hyoepiglottic ligament, tensioning the lateral airway walls, and anteriorly displacing the tongue base.
