HealthFirst-Sleep apnea treatment

UNDATED (WJRT) -- (01/07/08)-- Surgery may soon be the treatment of choice for one of the most common sleep disorders.

HealthFirst reporter Leslie LoBue explains this new procedure to combat sleep apnea.

Those who suffer sleep apnea are sometimes awakened dozens of times every night.  Over time, lack of deep sleep can take a life-threatening toll.

Eileen Lightcap used to feel like she was in a fog all day long.  "I just didn't have the desire to do anything because I was just too tired to do it."

Doctors diagnosed Eileen with obstructive sleep apnea. It's caused by the throat closing during sleep, cutting off the airway and waking up the body. If left untreated, apnea can increase the risk of heart attack or stroke.

"We know that people with sleep apnea have a higher mortality rate than people who do not have sleep apnea," said Dr. Karl Doghramji, from the Jefferson Sleep Disorder Center.

"When you think you could go to bed and not wake up the next day, I just don't think I was ready for that," Lightcap said.

That's but one reason she chose to undergo a new surgical technique called a genial bone advancement trephine, or G-BAT.

"The tongue is attached to the very front portion of the jaw here. So if we can actually just move a very small portion of the jaw forward, we can pull the tongue forward and open the space behind the tongue," said Jefferson Medical College's Dr. Maurits Boon.

During G-BAT, doctors go in through an incision inside the lip. They move a portion of bone about the size of a penny, then add a small, permanent plate to keep the tongue from blocking the airway.

Doctors say there is no change to a patient's physical appearance, and the surgery is quick. Some patients may feel numbness in the jaw and lips for up to several months.

Eileen says it was a small price to pay.  "I still get tired, but I don't wake up tired."

Patients who have a small jaw and are not morbidly obese are the best candidates for G-BAT surgery.

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healthfirst, leslie lobue

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