Published in:
01-09-2016 | Letter to the Editor
Expansion sphincter pharyngoplasty for obstructive sleep apnea: an update to the recent meta-analysis
Published in: European Archives of Oto-Rhino-Laryngology | Issue 9/2016
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In the recent, well-written meta-analysis evaluating expansion sphincter pharyngoplasty (ESP) as treatment for obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) [1], Dr. Pang and colleagues report that ESP lowered post-operative apnea–hypopnea index (AHI) more than traditional uvulopalatopharyngoplasty (UPPP) with a standardized mean difference (SMD) of −7.32, 95 % confidence interval [CI] −11.11, −3.52, p value = 0.0002. For standardized mean differences, 0.8 is generally considered to be large; and it was unclear how −7.32 was derived as the SMD. In reviewing Fig. 1, the value −7.32 corresponds to the mean difference between ESP and UPPP, not the standardized mean difference, so it was a simple typographical error.
Fig. 1
Pre and post-operative standardized mean difference for patients undergoing expansion sphincter pharyngoplasty alone
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