Obstructive Sleep Apnea: Emerging Treatments Targeting the Genioglossus Muscle (original) (raw)
Related papers
Journal of Clinical Medicine
The genioglossus is a major upper airway dilator muscle. Our goal was to assess the efficacy of upper airway muscle training on Obstructive Sleep Apnea (OSA) as an adjunct treatment. Sixty-eight participants with OSA (AHI > 10/h) were recruited from our clinic. They fall into the following categories: (a) Treated with Automatic Positive Airway Pressure (APAP), (n = 21), (b) Previously failed APAP therapy (Untreated), (n = 25), (c) Treated with Mandibular Advancement Splint (MAS), (n = 22). All subjects were given a custom-made tongue strengthening device. We conducted a prospective, randomized, controlled study examining the effect of upper airway muscle training. In each subgroup, subjects were randomized to muscle training (volitional protrusion against resistance) or sham group (negligible resistance), with a 1:1 ratio over 3 months of treatment. In the baseline and the final visit, subjects completed home sleep apnea testing, Epworth Sleepiness Scale (ESS), Pittsburgh Sleep Q...
Obstructive sleep apnea: focus on myofunctional therapy
Nature and Science of Sleep, 2018
Purpose: Orofacial myofunctional therapy (OMT) is a modality of treatment for children and adults with obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) to promote changes in the musculature of the upper airways. This review summarizes and discusses the effects of OMT on OSA, the therapeutic programs employed, and their possible mechanisms of action. Methods: We conducted an online literature search using the databases MEDLINE/PubMed, EMBASE, and Web of Science. Search terms were "obstructive sleep apnea" in combination with "myofunctional therapy" OR "oropharyngeal exercises" OR "speech therapy". We considered original articles in English and Portuguese containing a diagnosis of OSA based on polysomnography (PSG). The primary outcomes of interest for this review were objective measurement derived from PSG and subjective sleep symptoms. The secondary outcome was the evaluation of orofacial myofunctional status. Results: Eleven studies were included in this review. The studies reviewed reveal that several benefits of OMT were demonstrated in adults, which include significant decrease of apneahypopnea index (AHI), reduced arousal index, improvement in subjective symptoms of daytime sleepiness, sleep quality, and life quality. In children with residual apnea, OMT promoted a decrease of AHI, increase in oxygen saturation, and improvement of orofacial myofunctional status. Few of the studies reviewed reported the effects of OMT on the musculature. Conclusion: The present review showed that OMT is effective for the treatment of adults in reducing the severity of OSA and snoring, and improving the quality of life. OMT is also successful for the treatment of children with residual apnea. In addition, OMT favors the adherence to continuous positive airway pressure. However, randomized and high-quality studies are still rare, and the effects of treatment should also be analyzed on a long-term basis, including measures showing if changes occurred in the musculature.
Genioglossal Activation in Patients with Obstructive Sleep Apnea versus Control Subjects
American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine, 2001
Pharyngeal dilator muscle activation (GGEMG) during wakefulness is greater in patients with obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) than in healthy control subjects, representing a neuromuscular compensatory mechanism for a more collapsible airway. As previous work from our laboratory has demonstrated a close relationship between GGEMG and epiglottic pressure, we examined the relationship between genioglossal activity and epiglottic pressure in patients with apnea and in control subjects across a wide range of epiglottic pressures during basal breathing, negative-pressure (ironlung) ventilation, heliox breathing, and inspiratory resistive loading. GGEMG was greater in the patients with apnea under all conditions (p Ͻ 0.05 for all comparisons), including tonic, phasic, and peak phasic GGEMG. In addition, patients with apnea generated a greater peak epiglottic pressure on a breath-by-breath basis. Although the relationship between GGEMG and epiglottic negative pressure was tight across all conditions in both groups (all R values у 0.69), there were no significant differences in the slope of this relationship between the two groups (all p values Ͼ 0.30) under any condition. Thus, the increased GGEMG seen in the patient with apnea during wakefulness appears to be a product of an increased tonic activation of the muscle, combined with increased negative-pressure generation during inspiration.
Journal of Applied Physiology, 2012
It is generally believed that reflex recruitment of pharyngeal dilator muscles is insufficient to open the airway of obstructive apnea (OSA) patients once it is closed and, therefore, that arousal is required. Yet arousal promotes recurrence of obstruction. There is no information about how much dilator [genioglossus (GG)] activation is required to open the airway (GG Opening Threshold) or about the capacity of reflex mechanisms to increase dilator activity before/without arousal (Non-Arousal Activation). The relationship between these two variables is important for ventilatory stability. We measured both variables in 32 OSA patients (apnea-hypopnea index 74 ± 42 events/h). GG activity was monitored while patients were on optimal continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP). Zopiclone was administered to delay arousal. Maximum GG activity (GGMAX) and airway closing pressure (PCRIT) were measured. During stable sleep CPAP was decreased to 1 cmH2O to induce obstructive events and the di...
Bilateral Hypoglossal Nerve Stimulation for Treatment of Adult Obstructive Sleep Apnea
European Respiratory Journal
Background and AimHypoglossal Nerve Stimulation (HNS) decreases Obstructive Sleep Apnea (OSA) severity via genioglossus muscle activation and decreased upper airway collapsibility. This study assessed the safety and effectiveness at 6 months post-implantation of a novel device delivering bilateral HNS via a small implanted electrode activated by a unit worn externally, to treat OSA: the Genio™ system.MethodsThis prospective, open-label, non-randomised, single arm treatment study was conducted at eight centres in three countries (Australia, France, UK). Primary outcomes were incidence of device-related Serious Adverse Events (SAEs) and change in the Apnea-Hypopnea Index (AHI). The secondary outcome was the change in the 4% Oxygen Desaturation Index (ODI). Additional outcomes included measures of sleepiness, quality of life, snoring, and device use. This trial was registered with ClinicalTrials.gov, number NCT03048604.ResultsFrom 27 implanted participants (63% male, aged 55.9±12.0 yea...
American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine, 2012
Rationale: Hypoglossal nerve stimulation (HGNS) recruits lingual muscles, reduces pharyngeal collapsibility, and treats sleep apnea. Objectives: We hypothesized that graded increases in HGNS relieve pharyngeal obstruction progressively during sleep. Methods: Responses were examined in 30 patients with sleep apnea who were implanted with an HGNS system. Current (milliampere) was increased stepwise during non-REM sleep. Frequency and pulse width were fixed. At each current level, stimulation was applied on alternating breaths, and responses in maximal inspiratory airflow (V I max) and inspiratory airflow limitation (IFL) were assessed. Pharyngeal responses to HGNS were characterized by the current levels at which V I max first increased and peaked (flow capture and peak flow thresholds), and by the V I max increase from flow capture to peak (DV I max). Measurements and Main Results: HGNS produced linear increases in V I max from unstimulated levels at flow capture to peak flow thresholds (215 6 21 to 509 6 37 ml/s; mean 6 SE; P , 0.001) with increasing current from 1.05 6 0.09 to 1.46 6 0.11 mA. V I max increased in all patients and IFL was abolished in 57% of patients (non-IFL subgroup). In the non-IFL compared with IFL subgroup, the flow response slope was greater (1241 6 199 vs. 674 6 166 ml/s/mA; P , 0.05) and the stimulation amplitude at peak flow was lower (1.23 6 0.10 vs. 1.80 6 0.20 mA; P , 0.05) without differences in peak flow. Conclusions: HGNS produced marked dose-related increases in airflow without arousing patients from sleep. Increases in airflow were of sufficient magnitude to eliminate IFL in most patients and IFL and non-IFL subgroups achieved normal or near-normal levels of flow, suggesting potential HGNS efficacy across a broad range of sleep apnea severity.
American Journal of Orthodontics and Dentofacial Orthopedics, 1996
Knowledge of how dental appliances alter upper airway muscle activity when they are used for the treatment of snoring and/or obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) is very limited. The purpose of this study was to define the effect of a tongue retaining device (TRD) on awake genioglossus (GG) muscle activity in 10 adult subjects with OSA and in 6 age and body mass index (BMI) matched symptom-free control subjects. The TRD is a custom-made appliance designed to allow the tongue to remain in a forward position between the anterior teeth by holding the tongue in an anterior bulb with negative pressure, during sleep. This pulls the tongue forward to enlarge the volume of the upper airway and to reduce upper airway resistance. In this study, two customized TRDs were used for each subject. The TRD-A did not have an anterior bulb but incorporated lingual surface electrodes to record the GG electromyographic (EMG) activity. The TRD-B contained an anterior bulb and two similar electrodes. The GG EMG activity was also recorded while patients used the TRD-B but were instructed to keep their tongue at rest outside the anterior bulb; this condition is hereafter referred to as TRD-X. The GG EMG activity and nasal airflow were simultaneously recorded while subjects used these customized TRDs during spontaneous awake breathing in both the upright and supine position. The following results were obtained and were consistent whether subjects were in the upright or the supine position. The GG EMG activity was greater with the TRD-B than with the TRD-A in control subjects (p < 0.05), whereas the GG EMG activity was less with the TRD-B than with the TRD-A in subjects with OSA (p < 0.01). Furthermore, there was no significant difference between the GG EMG activity of the TRD-A and the TRD-X in control subjects, whereas there was less activity with the TRD-X than with the TRD-A in subjects with OSA (p < 0.05). On the basis of these findings, it was concluded that the TRD has different effects on the awake GG muscle activity in control subjects and patients with OSA. The resultant change in the anatomic configuration of the upper airway caused by the TRD may be important in the treatment of OSA because such a change may alleviate the impaired upper airway function. (Am J Orthod
Upper Airway Stimulation for Obstructive Sleep Apnea: Past, Present, and Future
Sleep, 2015
Upper Airway Stimulation for OSA: A Review-Dedhia et al. CLINICAL SIGNIFICANCE Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) is characterized by repetitive collapse of the upper airway during sleep resulting in nocturnal hypoxemia and recurrent arousals. 1 The prevalence of OSA is significant and increasing with the obesity epidemic and aging population. 2-4 Untreated moderate-severe obstructive sleep apnea has been strongly linked to neurocognitive impairment, motor vehicle accident risk, and increased health risks. 5,6 The risk of hypertension, fatal and nonfatal cardiovascular events, as well as all-cause mortality is significantly increased in patients with untreated moderate-severe OSA. 6-8 Recent evidence has demonstrated that the risk of cancer mortality and ischemic stroke carry a dose-response association with the severity of sleep disordered breathing (SDB). 9,10 Untreated OSA poses a significant public health concern in the form of driving risk, loss of workplace productivity, cardiovascular disease, and the associated increased health care costs. 11,12 NEED FOR NEW THERAPEUTIC OPTIONS The current treatment paradigm positions continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) as first-line therapy given its welldocumented efficacy and overall low morbidity. Compared to other treatment modalities, CPAP by far has the most data of effectively managing OSA particularly for multilevel and multifactorial pathophysiology and for more severe disease. CPAP has been shown to improve snoring, subjective sleep symptoms, neurocognitive function, daytime sleepiness, driving risk, and sleep related quality of life measures. 13,14 In large longitudinal Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) is an increasingly prevalent clinical problem with significant effects on both personal and public health. Continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) has demonstrated excellent efficacy and low morbidity; long-term adherence rates approach 50%. Although traditional upper airway surgical procedures target the anatomic component of obstruction, upper airway stimulation tackles the twin goals of improving anatomic and neuromuscular pathology. After decades of trials demonstrating proof of concept of hypoglossal nerve stimulation in animal and human subjects, the results of a large multicenter, prospective trial were recently published. The trial demonstrated that hypoglossal nerve stimulation led to significant improvements in objective and subjective measurements of the severity of OSA. This novel approach is the first to combine sleep surgery techniques with a titratable medical device for the treatment of OSA. Further research is required to define optimal patient selection and device performance and to demonstrate long-term effectiveness.