Uvulopalatopharyngoplasty

uvulopalatopharyngoplasty /uvu·lo·pal·a·to·phar·yn·go·plas·ty/ (UPPP) (u?vu-lo-pal?ah-to-fah-ring´go-plas?te) an operation performed on the soft tissues of the soft palate and pharyngeal area in the treatment of sleep apnea.

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u·vu·lo·pal·a·to·pha·ryn·go·pla·sty (yvy-l-pl-t-f-rngg-plst)

n. Abbr. UPPP

A surgical procedure for treating severe obstructive sleep apnea, in which the airway at the back of the throat is widened by the removal of excess soft tissue including the uvula, tonsils, and part of the soft palate.

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Uvulopalatopharyngoplasty (UPPP)

An operation to remove excess tissue at the back of the throat to prevent it from closing off the airway during sleep.

Mentioned in: Sleep Apnea

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uvulopalatopharyngoplasty (yōōˈ·v·lō·paˈ·l·tō·f·rinˈ·jō·plasˑ·tē),

n surgical removal of excess palatal and pharyngeal tissues to remedy severe obstructive sleep apnea believed to be caused by obstructions in the nose or pharynx.

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uvulopalatopharyngoplasty UPPP ENT A surgical procedure for treating obstructive sleep apnea that consists of resection of the uvula, the distal margin of the soft palate, palatine tonsils and any excessive lateral pharyngeal tissue; UPPP is successful in²⁄₃ of selected cases with obstructive sleep apnea in which there is focal airway collapse, which may cause the Pts to snore. See Laser-assisted uvulopalatoplasty, Snore.