Barbed Functional Expansion Pharyngoplasty

The role of lateral pharyngeal wall in the pathogenesis of obstructive sleep apnea has been demonstrated by DISE. The evolution regarding the techniques of pharyngoplasty has been focused on the concept of obtaining the expansion and stabilization of the pharyngeal airspace through the treatment of lateral pharyngeal wall collapse. The use of knotless barbed sutures has been recently described in oropharyngeal surgery to improve the biomechanical effect of sutures on tissue collapse with positive surgical outcomes. The BFEP technique is a technical update of classic FEP characterized by easier learning curve, less operation time, and rare complications due to a better closure of tonsillar fossa.