ArticleSleep & breathing = Schlaf & Atmung2025
Predicting patient-reported outcomes of radiofrequency uvulopalatoplasty with tonsillectomy in adult obstructive sleep apnea.
Article in Sleep & breathing = Schlaf & Atmung, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 2 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.
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The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
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Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
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Who cites it
2 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it.
- Patient-Reported Outcomes of Palatopharyngeal Surgery Without Tonsillectomy: A Meta-Analysis.The Laryngoscope · 2026Pooled it
- Optimizing Surgical Choice in Mild and Moderate OSA: Anterior Palatoplasty vs. Radiofrequency Uvulopalatoplasty.Life (Basel, Switzerland) · 2026Article
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Authors and funding
6 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
purposeUvulopalatopharyngoplasty with tonsillectomy is one of the most commonly performed procedures for sleep-disordered breathing, with most studies focusing on objective sleep measurement outcomes. Daytime sleepiness and snoring are important patient-reported outcome measures (PROMs); however, little is known about patient-specific predictors to individualize treatment and guide patient counseling.
methodsPatients undergoing radiofrequency uvulopalatoplasty with tonsillectomy between 2015 and 2021 were retrospectively analyzed. Patients underwent a standardized clinical head and neck examination. Preoperatively and three months after surgery, sleep apnea testing and questionnaires were administered. Daytime sleepiness and snoring were evaluated using the Epworth Sleepiness Scale (ESS) and a visual analog scale (VAS, 0-10) preoperatively and three months postoperatively. Primary endpoints were predictors influencing ESS and snoring reduction.
resultsIn total, 142 patients with a mean age of 47 ± 12 years have been analyzed. ESS significantly decreased from 8.4 ± 4.7 to 4.1 ± 3.0 (p < 0.01), and snoring VAS from 7.9 ± 2.0 to 3.3 ± 2.3 (p < 0.01). Higher preoperative ESS and snoring scores significantly predicted greater postoperative improvements. Anatomical parameters and indices from sleep studies did not consistently predict outcomes. A greater reduction in the apnea-hypopnea index was associated with ESS reduction but not with snoring intensity improvements.
conclusionRadiofrequency uvulopalatoplasty with tonsillectomy significantly reduces daytime sleepiness and snoring severity in adult patients with sleep-disordered breathing. Baseline symptom severity was the sole consistent predictor for PROM improvements, highlighting the multifactorial nature of subjective outcomes and underscoring the necessity for individualized patient counseling and expectation management.
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