3Tongue Surgery
There are two forms of tongue surgery for people with sleep apnea. These include:
– Tongue base reduction: The main goal of this procedure is to reduce the amount of tissue in the base of the tongue. Your surgeon may perform it either with radiofrequency waves or an incision. The radiofrequency option is typically noninvasive, but it tends to require a few sessions. The incision method, also known as midline glossectomy, tends to be more invasive and requires a hospital stay overnight. Both treatments do no cure sleep apnea, but they may improve the symptoms in mild cases.
– Tongue advancement: In this type of tongue surgery, the main tongue muscle called the genioglossus muscle will be relocated forward. This can be done by a cut in the jaw bone. After that, titanium plate is used to keep it fixed in place. In most cases, tongue replacement is an effective treatment for sleep apnea. However, it is more invasive than other surgeries and requires an overnight stay in the hospital. [4]
