Effect of classic uvulopalatopharyngoplasty and laser-assisted uvulopalatopharyngoplasty on voice acoustics and speech nasalance

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE: Uvulopalatopharyngoplasty (UPPP) is a commonly used surgical technique for oropharyngeal reconstruction in patients with obstructive sleep apnea (OSA). This procedure can be done either through the classic or the laser-assisted uvulopalatopharyngoplasty (LAUP) technique. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effect of classic UPPP and LAUP on acoustics of voice and speech nasalance, and to compare the effect of each operation on these two domains. PATIENTS AND METHODS: The study included 27 patients with a mean age of 46 years. All patients were diagnosed with OSA based on polysomnographic examination. Patients were divided into two groups according to the type of surgical procedure. Fifteen patients underwent classic UPPP, whereas 12 patients were subjected to LAUP. A full assessment was done for all patients preoperatively and postoperatively, including auditory perceptual assessment (APA) of voice and speech, objective assessment using acoustic voice analysis and nasometry. RESULTS: Auditory perceptual assessment of speech and voice, acoustic analysis of voice and nasometric analysis of speech did not show statistically significant differences between the preoperative and postoperative evaluations in either group (P>.05). CONCLUSION: The results of this study demonstrated that in patients with OSA, the surgical technique, whether classic UPPP or LAUP, does not have significant effects on the patients’ voice quality or their speech outcomes.