The predictive value of obstructive sleep apnoea severity on clinical outcomes following maxillomandibular advancement surgery

Abstract We aimed to evaluate whether the severity of preoperative obstructive sleep apnoea (OSA) has potential predictive value for the clinician assessing patients referred for maxillomandibular advancment surgery. We performed a retrospective analysis of consecutive patients who underwent maxillofacial operations for OSA at our institution. We stratified them into 2 groups according to apnoea/hypopnoea index (AHI) scores calculated from a preoperative sleep study: mild-moderate OSA (AHI less than 30) and severe OSA (AHI 30 and above). Both groups were matched for baseline demographic and clinical characteristics. We compared postoperative scores for the AHI and Epworth sleepiness scale (ESS), and lowest recorded oxygen saturation between groups. We identified 51 patients of whom 39 had complete data available for inclusion in our analysis. We found no statistically significant difference in the postoperative AHI scores between the two groups. The reduction in the mean ESS after operation was greater in the severe group than in the mild-moderate group (mean (SD) ESS 4 (3) compared with 9 (6), p