Total airway reconstruction

Abstract

We present a case of obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) that required multilevel surgical correction of the airway and literature review and discuss the role supraglottic laryngeal collapse can have in OSA. A 34-year-old man presented to a tertiary otolaryngology clinic for treatment of OSA. He previously had nasal and palate surgeries and a Repose tongue suspension. His residual apnea hypopnea index (AHI) was 67. He had a dysphonia associated with a true vocal cord paralysis following resection of a benign neck mass in childhood. He also complained of inspiratory stridor with exercise and intolerance to continuous positive airway pressure. Physical examination revealed craniofacial hypoplasia, full base of tongue, and residual nasal airway obstruction. On laryngoscopy, the paretic aryepiglottic fold arytenoid complex prolapsed into the laryngeal inlet with each breath. This was more pronounced with greater respiratory effort. Surgical correction required a series of operations including awake tracheostomy, supraglottoplasty, midline glossectomy, genial tubercle advancement, maxillomandibular advancement, and reconstructive rhinoplasty. His final AHI was 1.9. Our patient's supraglottic laryngeal collapse constituted an area of obstruction not typically evaluated in OSA surgery. In conjunction with treating nasal, palatal, and hypopharyngeal subsites, our patient's supraglottoplasty represented a key component of his success. This case illustrates the need to evaluate the entire upper airway in a complicated case of OSA.