Dr. Kezirian’s Blog

How does a small structure with a funny name — the epiglottis — contribute to obstructive sleep apnea? What can be done to treat the epiglottis with sleep apnea surgery? My colleague at UC San Francisco, Dr. Andrew Goldberg, came up with a title for a sleep apnea surgery lecture I have given (and which… Read more »

Drug-induced sleep endoscopy (DISE) is the most important sleep apnea surgery evaluation tool in my 20-plus years of work in sleep apnea surgery. That being said, it is far from a perfect sleep apnea surgery evaluation, and there is some controversy about the best technique. Over the years, questions about the technique have centered around… Read more »

Are you experiencing problems with an oral appliance to treat your obstructive sleep apnea? You are not alone. Oral appliances are an important and valuable treatment for snoring and obstructive sleep apnea. Oral appliances (mandibular advancement devices/mandibular advancement splints shown in image below) work by holding the lower jaw (mandible) in a forward position during… Read more »

Do you (or someone you love) snore loudly? Interested in learning what we really know about conservative approaches, including some that are advertised that may not be helpful at all? I perform snoring and sleep apnea surgery all the time, but I use these steps all the time in taking care of my patients. This… Read more »

Have you ever wondered if sleep apnea surgery should be considered a first-line treatment for obstructive sleep apnea? If so, you are not alone. I certainly have many patients who report knowing from the outset that they would not be able to tolerate non-surgical treatments–and were right–and wished they could proceed directly to sleep apnea… Read more »

Sleep apnea surgery: one size fits all? One of my first blog posts in 2012 was entitled “The Surgery” for Sleep Apnea, and it referred to the fact that, at that time, most surgeons were performing a single sleep apnea surgery in all patients. Fast forward to 2026, and that single sleep apnea surgery for… Read more »

Are you unable to tolerate CPAP? Does increasing your CPAP pressure make your sleep worse, maybe even causing you to choke? Today, the Journal of Clinical Sleep Medicine published our sleep apnea surgery research that may explain why this happens in some patients and how sleep apnea surgery can help. DISE-PAP as a tool to… Read more »

Wondering how to learn more about sleep apnea surgery? The first step is seeing a surgeon so you can discuss sleep apnea surgery directly, especially if you are not responding to first-line sleep apnea treatment options. Obstructive sleep apnea is the blockage of breathing occurring during sleep. First-line options include conservative measures (weight loss when… Read more »

How has sleep apnea surgery changed over time? We share two key sources of change: drug-induced sleep endoscopy (DISE) and the Nyxoah Genio hypoglossal nerve stimulation system. DISE is a sleep apnea surgery evaluation tool that helps surgeons develop a targeted, effective sleep apnea surgery plan, improving outcomes. It is recommended in many patients considering… Read more »

Are you interested in ways that AI can improve sleep apnea surgery? So am I! I just returned from a sleep apnea surgery course where there was a tremendous amount of discussion about how artificial intelligence (AI) revolutionizing medicine now and in the years to come. After decades of optimism (from others) and pessimism (from… Read more »