Abstract
Purpose: Tongue base reduction surgery is the only minimally invasive
technique that can be performed under local anesthesia as an outpatient
procedure, especially to treat obstructive sleep apnea caused by
hypopharyngeal obstruction.Studies reported that various devices could
be used for tongue base reduction, but comparisons of these methods are
limited in the literature. Our study aimed to compare the histological
effects of tongue base reduction methods performed with the Celon
radiofrequency, monopolar cautery, Coblator, and Sutter devices on the
tissue. Methods: This study included 23 female rats (aged 4–8 months).
Rats were divided into 5 groups. Tongue base reduction was performed
with monopolar cautery in the first group(5 rats), with radiofrequency
in the second group(5 rats), with the Coblator in the third group(5
rats), and with the Sutter in the fourth group(5 rats). The fifth group
was the control group which consisted of 3 rats. The rats tongues were
resected for histological examination 1 week after procedures. Results:
While the highest amount of fibrosis was seen in the Sutter group,
fibrosis was also higher in the Coblator group. A significant difference
was observed in all groups when compared with the control group
regarding tissue thickness. While the average tissue thicknesses of the
monopolar, rf, and Coblator groups were almost the same, the highest
tissue reduction, was in the Sutter group. Conclussion: Although we
observed that all the methods we used were safe, the method that caused
the most fibrosis and tissue reduction was the Sutter.