The workshop was conducted for doctors around the world to display the latest robotic technique called Transoral Robotic Surgery (TORS) on the base of tongue to treat OSA. It was graced by world renowned robotic surgeons for sleep apnea Prof Dr Claudio Vicini, Dr Filippo Montevecchi from Italy, Dr Ramakanta Panda, VC and Cardio-Vascular Thoracic Surgeon, Asian Heart Institute and ENT surgeon Dr Vikas Agrawal. This type of surgery is extremely challenging because the base of tongue is a very heavy muscle situated deep in the throat.
“Both these patients were non obese and had tried the continuous airway pressure (CPAP) therapy, however it did not benefit them. Studies suggest that obese people are four times more prone to obstructive sleep apnea syndrome, but now we are increasingly seeing even non-obese patients with severe OSA symptoms,” said Dr Agrawal.
Building on a 2009 AIIMS study with his observations he added, “The prevalence of OSA in the Indian population is 13 per cent and the incidence is three-fold higher in men as compared to women.”
Explaining why Indians are more at risk, Dr Agrawal further elaborated, “Our faces are more flat; chin is not as protruded as Caucasians, as a result of which our tongue presses on the back of throat more frequently. This is one reason why the CPAP mask is not as effective in our population as Caucasians.”
Prof Dr Vicini, a world renowned expert said, “TORS of the base tongue for treatment of OSA has many advantages over conventional CPAP therapy option which delivers air through a mask while the patient sleeps, keeping the airway open. TORS is an extremely effective one time treatment for OSA as it gives extreme precision of robotic arm which resects the obstruction in the base tongue which is otherwise very difficult to reach as well as to operate due to its heaviness.”
Lending support to the activity, Dr Panda, added, “This live surgery course on TORS is a step towards honing the skills and expertise of the medical community who will benefit largely form this surgical knowledge sharing.”
EH News Bureau