Surgical failure guided by DISE in patients with obstructive sleep apnea: a systematic review and meta-analysis

The failure rate and risk factors of upper airway surgery with drug induced sleep endoscopy (DISE) remain unknown in the treatment of obstructive sleep apnea (OSA). This review aims to analyze the failure rate of upper airway surgery with DISE and identify obstruction sites for surgical failure.

A systematic review was conducted using PubMed, Embase, Web of Science, and Google Scholar until May 20th, 2023. We included studies that used DISE to assess obstructive sites before upper airway surgery and reported surgical failure rates and outcomes in patients with OSA.

25 studies with a total of 1522 patients were included in the systematic review and meta-analysis. Upper airway surgery guided by DISE had a relatively low failure rate of 37% (95% CI 0.31–0.44) in the random effects model (I² = 85.97%, P < 0.001). According to the velum, oropharynx, tongue base, and epiglottis (VOTE) scoring system, major risk factors for surgical failure included circumferential collapse at the velum, lateral wall collapse and small tonsils at the oropharynx, anterior–posterior lingual collapse and complete collapse at the tongue base. High body mass index and large preoperative apnea hypopnea index were also risk factors for OSA surgical failure.

Upper airway surgery guided by DISE in patients with OSA had a low failure rate of 37%. DISE can identify obstruction sites associated with surgical failure and guide single-level and multi-level surgeries.