Evidence map›Paper›PMID 42073495›Full record

ArticleLife (Basel, Switzerland)2026

Optimizing Surgical Choice in Mild and Moderate OSA: Anterior Palatoplasty vs. Radiofrequency Uvulopalatoplasty.

Ionut Tanase, Mircea-Sorin Ciolofan, Codrut-Caius Sarafoleanu, Mihaela Cristina Neagu, Florentina-Carmen Badea, Carmen Aurelia Mogoantă

Abstract read
In one paragraph

Article in Life (Basel, Switzerland), 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
0citing papers in PubMed
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1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

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.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

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.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

0 citing papers in PubMed.

No citing paper in PubMed yet.

4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

6 authors.

Ionut TanaseDepartment of Otorhinolaryngology, Carol Davila University of Medicine and Pharmacy, 050474 Bucharest, Romania.ORCID 0000-0003-4475-7737
Mircea-Sorin CiolofanDepartment of Otorhinolaryngology, University of Medicine and Pharmacy of Craiova, 200349 Craiova, Romania.
Codrut-Caius SarafoleanuDepartment of Otorhinolaryngology, Carol Davila University of Medicine and Pharmacy, 050474 Bucharest, Romania.
Mihaela Cristina NeaguENT Department, Medicover Hospital, 020331 Bucharest, Romania.ORCID 0000-0003-2601-5684
Florentina-Carmen BadeaENT Department, Medicover Hospital, 020331 Bucharest, Romania.ORCID 0000-0002-0296-8141
Carmen Aurelia MogoantăDepartment of Otorhinolaryngology, University of Medicine and Pharmacy of Craiova, 200349 Craiova, Romania.ORCID 0000-0002-3426-6478

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundSurgical palatal techniques are established alternatives to continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) in selective patients with obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) with retropalatal airway collapse. Anterior palatoplasty (AP) stiffens and advances the soft palate, whereas radiofrequency-assisted uvulopalatoplasty (RF-UPP) uses thermal ablation to reduce palatal tissue. This study aimed to compare the 6-month efficacy and morbidity of AP vs. RF-UPP in treating mild-to-moderate OSA. MATERIALS AND

methodsWe conducted a single-center retrospective cohort study (March 2023-March 2025) of 86 adults (mean age ~42 years; 69.8% male) with mild-moderate OSA (apnea-hypopnea index [AHI] 5-30) due to palatal obstruction; 43 patients underwent AP and 43 patients underwent RF-UPP. Polysomnographic AHI, Epworth sleepiness scale (ESS), snoring severity (0-10 visual analog scale, VAS) and sleep-related quality of life (functional outcomes of sleep questionnaire, FOSQ) were analyzed at baseline and 6 months postoperatively. Postoperative pain (0-10 VAS), recovery time, and bleeding events were also assessed.

resultsBaseline characteristics were similar between groups (AHI ~22 vs. 21 events/h; ESS ~11 vs. 10; snoring VAS ~8.4 vs. 8.2 in AP vs. RF-UPP, all

conclusionsAnterior palatoplasty demonstrated superior efficacy to RF-UPP in mild-moderate OSA at the expense of increased postoperative pain and a longer recovery period. AP may offer a greater therapeutic benefit in appropriately selected patients with palatal obstruction.

Indexed as

anterior palatoplastyobstructive sleep apneapolysomnographyradiofrequency-assisted uvulopalatoplastysleep surgery

Identifiers

PMID42073495
PMCPMC13117941

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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.