Surgery Overview
Uvulopalatopharyngoplasty (UPPP) is a procedure used to remove excess tissue in the throat, which widens the airway. This sometimes can allow air to move through the throat more easily when you breathe, decreasing the severity of obstructive sleep apnea (OSA). The tissues removed may include:

The soft V-shaped tissue that hangs down from the back of the roof of the mouth into the throat (uvula).
Part of the roof of the mouth (soft palate).
Excess throat tissue, tonsils and adenoids, and the pharynx.
See an illustration of the tonsils, adenoids, and uvula and an illustration of the hard and soft palate.

If a small part of the tongue also is removed, the procedure is called uvulopalatopharyngoglossoplasty. This procedure is done if the health professional believes an enlarged tongue is contributing to OSA symptoms.

What To Expect After Surgery
Continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP), a machine that helps a person breathe, is used after surgery to prevent collapse of the airway. Medication for pain is avoided in order to make it less likely that you will have apnea episodes.

Why It Is Done
Uvulopalatopharyngoplasty is used to treat OSA in people:

With excess tissue in the nose, mouth, or throat that blocks their airway.
Who choose not to use (or cannot use) CPAP.
Who do not get better after using CPAP.
Who do not want to have an opening made in their windpipe (tracheostomy) to treat sleep apnea.
Uvulopalatopharyngoplasty usually is not used in children. Atonsillectomy and adenoidectomy may be needed.

How Well It Works
There is no good evidence on the outcome of using uvulopalatopharyngoplasty for obstructive sleep apnea.

Uvulopalatopharyngoplasty may stop snoring, but apnea episodes may continue.

About 40% to 60% of people who have UPPP have an improvement in their symptoms, but it is impossible to say who will benefit from it and who will not.

Even if surgery is successful in removing blockage, you may still need CPAP after surgery.

Risks
Complications during surgery include accidental damage to surrounding blood vessels or tissues.

Complications after surgery may include:
Sleepiness and periods of not breathing (apnea) related to the medications used to put you to sleep.
Swelling, pain, infection, or bleeding.
Drainage of secretions into the nose and a nasal quality to the voice. Speech does not seem to be affected with this surgery.
Narrowing of the airway in the nose and throat.

What To Think About
Before considering surgery, all people who have OSA need to try CPAP.

Sleep studies are done after uvulopalatopharyngoplasty surgery to determine if apnea has improved. If apnea continues after surgery, CPAP also may be needed.

If you have severe OSA and cannot tolerate or choose not to use CPAP, a permanent opening into the windpipe (tracheostomy) may be an option.

Laser-assisted uvulopalatoplasty may be used to treat snoring. It is sometimes used to treat mild to moderate OSA, although not all people benefit. This procedure is not approved by the American Academy of Sleep Medicine to treat OSA.