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Coblation-Assisted Lewis And Mackay Operation (Coblamo): New Technique For Tongue Reduction In Sleep Apnoea Surgery, Stuart Mackay, N Jefferson, L Grundy, R Lewis

Faculty of Science, Medicine and Health - Papers: part A

Background: Obstructive sleep apnoea is a common condition that is unfortunately associated with a high rate of patient non-compliance regarding device use. Newer surgical interventions have focused on procedures at the palate level, using variants of palatoplasty and transpalatal advancement. However, the extent of tongue reduction surgery required remains controversial. The authors propose an in-between variant that combines midline glossectomy resection (with minimal mucosal sacrifice) and lateral coblation tongue channelling. Method: Four patients underwent a coblation-assisted Lewis and MacKay operation, which is a new technique for tongue reduction. This involved a midline glossectomy combined with lateral coblation channelling of the …