Research – Sleep Surgery

Sleep Surgery

The surgical evaluation and treatment of obstructive sleep apnea and snoring is a relatively new subspecialty, and our research at Keck Medicine of USC has contributed to many important scientific advances in this field.

Drug-induced sleep endoscopy is an evaluation for sleep apnea patients considering surgery. We have conducted many studies in this area, including leading two international, multicenter studies showing how drug-induced sleep endoscopy can help select procedures and improve results with tailored, effective treatment plans.

We participate in major studies examining the benefits of innovative treatments like Inspire Medical’s Upper Airway Stimulation®, as well as other new surgical and non-surgical treatments for sleep apnea.

Collaborations with experts in magnetic resonance imaging and biomedical engineering here at USC is enabling examination of neurologic changes that occur in obstructive sleep apnea and the improvements that can occur with treatment. These collaborations are also leading to cutting-edge tools that allow us to visualize airway behavior during sleep that results in sleep apnea and to measure the extent to which our treatments act address these causes. Additional work with colleagues at other institutions will shed new light on the causes of sleep apnea and the potential combination of surgery and medications to improve outcomes through tailored and personalized patient care.

Faculty Researcher:
Sebastian Jara, MD, MPH