Overall, stapes surgery in children with JO or CSF has a moderate success rate (69.9%) to provide ABG closure of 10 dB. The success rate for CSF in the setting of ossicular abnormalities is 54%. This meta-analysis suggests that if JO can be determined before surgery, a higher success rate is possible (80.2%).

The aim of this study was to evaluate the change in serum levels of C-reactive protein (CRP) in patients with obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) before and after expansion sphincter pharyngoplasty (ESP) and continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) treatment. Fifty-one patients with newly diagnosed OSA were prospectively enrolled in this study. We performed ESP in twenty-three patients in the surgery group and twenty-eight patients were included in the CPAP group. Serum levels of high-sensitivity CRP (hs-CRP) were analyzed by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays before and 3 months after treatment. The relations between CRP and the apnea hypopnea index (AHI), visual analog scale (VAS), the Epworth Sleepiness Scale (ESS), and saturation parameters were evaluated. Both surgical and CPAP treatments caused significant improvements in the clinical and laboratory parameters. However, only the patients whose postoperative AHI levels improved to final AHI of <5 (n = 6) after ESP, had significant decrease in their serum CRP levels (p = 0.028). CPAP group and the rest of the patients in the surgery group did not show statistically significant difference in CRP levels after treatment. We suggest that the successful surgical treatment for OSA-ESP in this study-, which provides OSA cure, can decrease serum levels of CRP and reduce possible cardiovascular morbidity.

Objective The aim of this study was to determine the general outcomes and surgical success rates of anterior palatoplasty (AP) in patients with obstructive sleep apnea (OSA). Data Sources A systematic review of the literature and meta-analysis of published data were performed by searching the Cochrane, SAGE, MEDLINE, and Google Scholar databases, from January 1, 2007, to March 27, 2017, using relevant keywords. Review Methods The search scanned for studies with patients who had undergone AP (with or without tonsillectomy) as a single-stage, single-level surgical intervention for treatment of OSA. Two independent reviewers (M.B. and O.K.) inspected titles and abstracts of the studies according to established criteria. The full texts were then reviewed to extract the clinical and polysomnographic data. The primary outcome was the surgical success rate, defined as a reduction in the apnea-hypopnea index (AHI) of 50% or greater and an AHI of less than 20 postoperatively. The PRISMA statement was followed. Results After systematic evaluation of potentially relevant articles, 14 studies were downloaded, and 6 studies, consisting of 170 patients, met the study criteria. A fixed effects model was used to analyze the data. The surgical success rate of AP was 60.6%. No serious complications were reported in the literature. Conclusion The results of the present meta-analysis support AP as a moderately effective surgical method for the treatment of OSA. Comparative and randomized controlled prospective studies showing long-term results, with pre- and postoperative data, should be conducted to demonstrate the exact outcomes and reliability of this surgical technique.

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Anterior palatoplasty, LP, and ESP seem not to have any impact on nasalance scores of males.

After treatment for obstructive sleep apnoea, some ratios reflecting T helper 1/T helper 2 cytokine balance favoured the T helper 2 direction, suggesting a shift to an anti-inflammatory state. Successful surgery and better continuous positive airway pressure compliance can help ameliorate inflammation in obstructive sleep apnoea patients, which may reduce associated morbidities.

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Otolaryngologists should be aware of anatomic variations of the submandibular duct(s) to avoid possible complications, especially intraoperatively, because rutine preoperative radiologic preparation does not include investigation of possible accessory ducts.