Surgical Solutions | Tongue & Hyoid Advancement
Tongue and Hyoid Advancement Procedures
If the cause of your apneas (blocking of the airway) is from a collapse in the deep part of your throat or the back of your tongue falls back when you sleep, an additional procedure called a Hyoid Myotomy and Geniglossal Advancement Procedure may be performed. Typically these procedures are performed at the same time as a UP3.
The operation begins with a small incision under your neck (usually in an area that is not visible). The hyoid bone, located above your Adam’s apple, is the only bone that does not connect to any other bone. Instead, the hyoid bone supports muscles that are connected to the back of the throat and tongue. Sutures are placed around the hyoid and brought forward toward your chin to give support to the muscles that support the back of the throat. This widens the airway in the deep throat. The suture is then tied to the inside of the jaw bone with a small screw that you should never feel.
The tongue may then be "suspended." By placing another stitch around the back of the tongue to prevent the base of the tongue from slipping back at night, like a hammock. You should not feel the suture.
For some patients, you may have an incision in the inside of your lower lip to access the jaw bone. This allows access to the muscles of the tongue so that they can be brought forward to reduce the collapse of the tongue at night.
