{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2025,10,10]],"date-time":"2025-10-10T01:32:48Z","timestamp":1760059968235,"version":"build-2065373602"},"reference-count":33,"publisher":"MDPI AG","issue":"3","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2025,7,29]],"date-time":"2025-07-29T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1753747200000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"content-domain":{"domain":[],"crossmark-restriction":false},"short-container-title":["Clocks &amp; Sleep"],"abstract":"<jats:p>Background: Uvulopalatopharyngoplasty (UPPP) and expansion sphincter pharyngoplasty (ESP) are two standard surgical procedures for the treatment of snoring and obstructive sleep apnea. In a retrospective clinical trial, we compared the two surgical techniques regarding objective sleep parameters and patients\u2019 reported outcomes. Materials and Methods: Patients treated with UPPP or ESP between January 2016 and February 2020 were included in this retrospective clinical trial. Pre- and postoperative AHI, BMI, and smoking habits were recorded. Subjective improvement was assessed by the ESS score and symptom relief reported by patients and their bed partners. Results: Between 2016 and 2020, 114 patients were included in the study, 74 patients suffered from OSA, and 30 patients had non-apnoeic snoring (AHI &lt; 5\/h). No preoperative sleeping studies were available in 10 patients (10\/114; 9%). Based on the findings during drug-induced sedation endoscopy, most patients received an ESP (71\/114, 62%), and 43 patients received a UPPP (43\/114, 38%). Additionally, in 52\/114 (46%), radio frequency ablation of the tongue base was performed if DISE revealed retrolingual collapse. ESP reduced AHI from 21.1 \u00b1 10.8\/h to 13.3 \u00b1 12.1\/h (p = 0.04), whereas UPPP caused a non-significant decrease in the AHI from 25.0 \u00b1 13.8\/h to 18.2 \u00b1 14.6\/h (p = 0.6). A minor secondary bleeding was observed in 32 patients, which was effectively treated with electrocautery or conservative therapy (32\/114). This was more common in the ESP group (22\/71; 31%) than in the UPPP group (10\/43; 23%). Postoperative need for analgesics was higher in the ESP group than in the UPPP group. The ESS score showed no significant improvement after UPPP or ESP (p = 0.3), but subjective improvement in snoring was reported by 87\/114 (76%) patients. Conclusion: AHI reduction was significantly higher in the ESP patient group than in the UPPP group. ESP patients had a slightly higher rate of minor secondary bleeding and postoperative need for analgesics than UPPP patients.<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.3390\/clockssleep7030038","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2025,7,29]],"date-time":"2025-07-29T12:39:29Z","timestamp":1753792769000},"page":"38","update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3390\/mdpi_crossmark_policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":0,"title":["Uvulopalatopharyngoplasty Versus Expansion Sphincter Pharyngoplasty: A Single Centre Experience"],"prefix":"10.3390","volume":"7","author":[{"given":"Teresa Bernadette","family":"Steinbichler","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Otorhinolaryngology, Head and Neck Surgery, Medical University of Innsbruck, 6020 Innsbruck, Austria"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Birte","family":"Bender","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Otorhinolaryngology, Head and Neck Surgery, Medical University of Innsbruck, 6020 Innsbruck, Austria"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Roland","family":"Hartl","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Otorhinolaryngology, Head and Neck Surgery, Medical University of Innsbruck, 6020 Innsbruck, Austria"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Verena","family":"Strasser","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Otorhinolaryngology, Head and Neck Surgery, Medical University of Innsbruck, 6020 Innsbruck, Austria"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Daniel","family":"Sontheimer","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Otorhinolaryngology, Head and Neck Surgery, Medical University of Innsbruck, 6020 Innsbruck, Austria"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Sladjana","family":"Buricic","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Otorhinolaryngology, Head and Neck Surgery, Medical University of Innsbruck, 6020 Innsbruck, Austria"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Barbara","family":"Kofler","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Otorhinolaryngology, Head and Neck Surgery, Medical University of Innsbruck, 6020 Innsbruck, Austria"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Birgit","family":"H\u00f6gl","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Neurology, Sleep Disorders Clinic, Medical University of Innsbruck, 6020 Innsbruck, Austria"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0001-5013-6158","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Herbert","family":"Riechelmann","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Otorhinolaryngology, Head and Neck Surgery, Medical University of Innsbruck, 6020 Innsbruck, Austria"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-3126-2877","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Benedikt","family":"Hofauer","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Otorhinolaryngology, Head and Neck Surgery, Medical University of Innsbruck, 6020 Innsbruck, Austria"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]}],"member":"1968","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2025,7,29]]},"reference":[{"key":"ref_1","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","unstructured":"Vlad, A.M., Stefanescu, C.D., Stefan, I., Zainea, V., and Hainarosie, R. 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