Dr. Kezirian’s Blog

Because of my career-long focus and unique experience in the combination of sleep surgery and sleep medicine, patients from around the country or other countries often reach out for an evaluation or for surgery. Because of the logistical challenges and costs of in-person visits, I have offered video consults for many years. These remote evaluations… Read more »

One of the wonderful things about moving home to Los Angeles and joining the team at the University of Southern California is my family’s connection to the University that dates back over 100 years. My mother is a USC graduate (undergraduate and graduate school), and she has been an active supporter of USC as an… Read more »

Inspire Medical Systems received FDA approval in 2014 for their Upper Airway Stimulation therapy to treat obstructive sleep apnea, and we were the first center in the Western United States to offer this treatment to patients after that approval. We have a substantial experience with this therapy here and have always felt it essential to… Read more »

Keck Medicine of USC has started a monthly Ask an Expert Webinar Series of presentations from our faculty about the evaluation and treatment of common problems of the head and neck. I was part of the first set of presentations when I spoke this past week on snoring and obstructive sleep apnea. For a basic… Read more »

A recurring theme of this blog and the sleep-doctor.com website is that successful surgery for obstructive sleep apnea and snoring depends on understanding the causes that differ from one patient to another. As otolaryngologists, we use flexible fiberoptic telescopes (like the one shown below) to look inside the breathing passages to see where they are open… Read more »

Snoring treatment has been a major part of my clinical practice, as it can be an important social nuisance as well as a key reason people seek treatment for obstructive sleep apnea. Unfortunately, there has only been a limited amount of scientific research on snoring treatment. This has been due mainly to the difficulties of… Read more »

Over the years, I have become more and more impressed by my patients and their sophisticated knowledge of obstructive sleep apnea and the latest research. As part of a national educational lecture series for sleep medicine fellows, I was recently asked to give a lecture on hypoglossal nerve stimulation in the treatment of obstrucive sleep… Read more »

This month, the 2020 Annual Meeting of the American Academy of Otolaryngology – Head and Neck Surgery was entirely virtual, continuing the pattern followed by other medical conferences and courses. I have written previously about our expanded use of telemedicine and the development of new online educational programs, but this is an existing major medical… Read more »

I was recently included in a series of lectures developed for the International Surgical Sleep Society. My topic: Oral Myofunctional Therapy and Frenuloplasty Are Not Currently Appropriate Treatment Options for Adults with Obstructive Sleep Apnea. I have posted this presentation on oral myofunctional therapy and frenuloplasty on YouTube; it is somewhat long but explains why… Read more »

The SARS-CoV-2 pandemic has brought unprecedented changes worldwide, with major, important consequences. I do not want to minimize these in any way. In fact, the pandemic was a reminder that obstructive sleep apnea does not have the same urgency as some other medical conditions, leading to a period of time where I was not taking… Read more »