Sleep Apnea Surgery and Inspire

Dr. Mohamed Abdelwahab speaks to a patient about sleep surgery options at the MUSC Health sleep clinic.

Sleep Disorders Program | CPAP & Medical Treatments | Sleep Care Locations

At MUSC Health’s Sleep and Facial Skeletal Surgery Program, we strive to deliver advanced, customized, and compassionate care to every obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) patient to meet their needs. Our multidisciplinary team has cutting-edge technology using virtual surgical planning to maximize precision in patient care. 

Call 843-792-3531 to schedule an in-person or virtual visit. Learn more about virtual visits.

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Sleep Apnea Surgery

Are you struggling with sleep apnea?

What Does A Sleep Surgeon Do?

If you suffer from sleep disruption, such as sleep apnea, you may have wondered if surgery could help you get a good night's rest. Sleep surgery is a medical specialty focused on evaluating and treating conditions that cause interruptions to your sleep pattern. A sleep surgeon works to identify the possible causes of your condition and performs both surgical and non-surgical procedures and treatments to improve your symptoms.

What is the Best Surgery for Sleep Apnea?

Our team uses the latest surgical and restorative techniques tailored for each patient based on their condition.

  • Surgical management of obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) for non-CPAP adherent patients
  • Multilevel surgery for managing OSA at different levels of collapse
  • Minimally invasive surgery for different airway procedures

Our approach includes:

  • Nasal Surgery
    • Turbinate reduction
    • Nasal valve surgery
    • Septoplasty
    • Maxillary expansion procedures
  • Soft Palate Surgery
    • Tonsillectomy
    • Palatopharyngoplasty
  • Tongue Surgery
    • TB reduction/TORS
    • Genioglossus advancement
    • Hypoglossal nerve stimulation
  • Maxillomandibular Advancement / Jaw Surgery 
Mohamed Abdelwahab, M.D., Ph.D.

Don't Ignore Sleep Apnea

Sleep apnea is more than a snoring problem. In couples, it can lead to relationship problems, even divorce. Sleep apnea often goes undiagnosed in children with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), bedwetting, and daytime sleepiness, leading to incorrect therapies to address their conditions.

Read more

What is the Success Rate of Sleep Apnea Surgery?

The success rate of sleep apnea surgery depends on the precise identification of contributing factors and levels of airway collapse. Our team of sleep specialists will personally evaluate your health history to determine if sleep apnea surgery is right for you. This can be done in one setting or multiple settings. We prefer to manage our patients with multi-level surgery to ensure all levels of collapse are managed. Surgical success rate is defined as 50 percent reduction in the preoperative sleep apnea numbers. 

Is Sleep Apnea Surgery Painful?

This depends on your individual procedure, as well as your airway phenotype and level of collapse. MUSC Health’s Sleep and Facial Skeletal Surgery experts will personally go over all risks with you before your procedure. A lot of our research is conducted to maximize the outcomes of surgery with the least discomfort during recovery.

What is Inspire for Sleep Apnea? 

Inspire Sleep therapy is one of the treatment options for obstructive sleep apnea patients who are unable to use CPAP. It works mainly as a tongue base procedure but also helps opening the space behind the palate.

Other Frequently Asked Questions About Inspire

Inspire Sleep therapy is one of the treatment options for obstructive sleep apnea patients who are unable to use CPAP. It works mainly as a tongue base procedure but also helps opening the space behind the palate.
It is an FDA approved obstructive sleep apnea treatment that works inside your body to treat the root cause of sleep apnea with just the click of a button.
Yes. Inspire is placed under the skin, in a same-day, outpatient procedure that takes about two hours. Most patients take over-the-counter pain medication and resume non-strenuous activities within a few days. You can resume more strenuous activities within a couple of weeks.
Inspire is placed under the skin using two small incisions. One incision is made under the chin and the second incision is in the upper chest.
Inspire works inside your body, allowing you to sleep without a mask or hose. At night, you turn it on by clicking the button on your remote. While you sleep, Inspire delivers a gentle pulse to your tongue to keep your airway open. The result for most patients is comfortable, restful sleep.
It works as long as you are a candidate, and have the right airway phenotype that allows it to work properly. 91% of people are satisfied with Inspire..
It can. About 90% of bed partners report reduced snoring. That being said, sometimes other procedures may be required.
79% reduction in sleep apnea events.
If you are not able to tolerate CPAP then Inspire can be a good alternative if you are a candidate.
Yes, we offer all alternatives to CPAP that can allow you and your partner or family member to sleep safely.

References

  1. Woodson et al., OTO-HNS 2018.
  2. Heiser et al., ERJ 2019.
  3. Abdelwahab et al 2022
  4. Abdelwahab et al 2022
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