OBJECTIVES: To assess changes in subjective quality of life (dizziness, tinnitus, sleep quality, daytime sleepiness) in moderate-to-severe obstructive sleep apnea patients before and after multilevel pharyngeal surgery (uvulopalatopharyngoplasty, bilateral tonsillectomy and tongue-base radiofrequency ablation), and identify the main factors influencing postoperative outcomes.
No direct change to audiological practice is indicated; however, audiologists should be aware that multilevel pharyngeal surgery for sleep apnea may affect tinnitus and dizziness outcomes, which are relevant when co-managing these patients.
Understanding how upper-airway surgery for sleep apnea influences audiology-adjacent symptoms like tinnitus and dizziness expands the case for multidisciplinary co-management between audiologists and ENT/sleep surgeons.
- 01Cohort study measured quality-of-life changes before and after multilevel pharyngeal surgery for moderate-to-severe sleep apnea.
- 02Outcomes assessed included dizziness, tinnitus, sleep quality, and daytime sleepiness.
- 03Findings are relevant to audiologists co-managing patients with concurrent sleep-disordered breathing.
- 04Design is observational (cohort), limiting causal conclusions.
- 05Results could inform multidisciplinary referral pathways involving audiology.
Multilevel pharyngeal surgery affects quality-of-life outcomes including tinnitus and dizziness in moderate-to-severe obstructive sleep apnea patients.
studypartially supported- PMID
- 42485887
- DOI
- 10.1016/j.bjorl.2026.101866.
- Journal
- Annals of Otorhinolaryngology
- Publication type
- research_article
- Evidence level
- 2b
- Population
- Adults with moderate-to-severe obstructive sleep apnea undergoing multilevel pharyngeal surgery
- Intervention
- Multilevel pharyngeal surgery
- Comparator
- Pre-operative baseline (within-group comparison)
Primary outcomes
Quality-of-life scores; Tinnitus severity; Dizziness; Sleep quality and daytime sleepiness