What We Offer You for Sleep Surgery Care
- Specialized surgical expertise in treating severe sleep disorders. Go to Conditions Treated
- Innovative treatment options that require in-depth knowledge and surgical skills. Go to Treatments
- Pioneering clinical trials that give eligible patients access to promising therapies available only at Stanford Health Care. Go to Clinical Trials
- A medical team with advanced training in caring for sleep conditions and optimizing your well-being. Go to Your Care Team
- Ease of access so that you can get the sleep services you need, anywhere and anytime. Go to Connecting to Care
Conditions Treated
Our surgeons offer advanced treatment for severe sleep disorders. We work with the renowned Stanford Health Care Sleep Medicine Center to help you understand your sleep condition and support you throughout your care.
Sometimes medical treatment is not enough or doesn’t work at all. In these cases, you can rely on our specialized team for effective surgical solutions. Whether sleep apnea or snoring keeps you from a good night’s sleep, we help restore your rest.
Our specialized surgeons treat:
The Sleep Surgery Program is part of Stanford Health Care Ear, Nose, and Throat (ENT), ranked one of the top ENT hospitals in the nation by U.S. News & World Report.
Specialists in our Sleep Surgery Program have been performing surgery for sleep disorders for over 35 years. Our experienced surgeons help you understand all your treatment options and recommend procedures that fit your needs. We also have an active research program to continue developing better ways to diagnose and treat sleep disorders.
Our sleep surgery team offers many procedures, including:
Distraction osteogenesis maxillary expansion (DOME) is a procedure that widens your palate (nasal floor). DOME treats obstructive sleep apnea by expanding your palate and allowing you to breathe through your nose better. It also gives your tongue more space, which lets more air pass through your mouth.
We use drug-induced sleep endoscopy (DISE) to see inside your airways while you sleep. Using a thin, flexible tube with a camera on the end, we assess the structures involved in your breathing. We look at how they change and block your airways during sleep. The procedure allows us to look inside your nose, throat, and near the base of your tongue.
Nasal surgery is any surgery done on the outside or inside of your nose to help with airflow. We fix problems with the passageways in your nose to help with obstructive sleep apnea and snoring. Nasal surgery targets the cause of airflow problems, such as a deviated septum, narrowing of the nasal opening, or nasal polyps.
Palate surgery stiffens tissues in your soft palate, throat, and airways to keep these passageways open. We do palate surgery to treat obstructive sleep apnea and snoring. The surgery often involves a combination of procedures on your palate, tonsils, and uvula.
Skeletal surgery, also called maxillomandibular advancement (MMA), changes the position of your jaw bones to help open your airways. This procedure does more than a standard orthognathic surgery, which moves your jaws without treating your airways. MMA is a highly effective treatment for obstructive sleep apnea.
Our surgeons do multiple types of tongue surgery to treat obstructive sleep apnea. We offer genioglossus advancement (with or without genioplasty, or chin surgery) to pull your tongue muscle forward. This repositioning makes your tongue firmer and less likely to collapse during sleep. We also do lingual tonsillectomy, which removes the base of your tongue to allow more air to pass by.
Upper airway stimulation (UAS), also called hypoglossal nerve stimulation, uses a device to open your airways during sleep. The device has a sensor in your chest and a stimulator attached to the hypoglossal nerve, which controls your tongue muscle. When the sensor detects that you’re not breathing, the device stimulates your nerve to move your tongue forward. This movement opens your airways and palate to help you breathe with obstructive sleep apnea.
At Stanford Health Care, we understand how a sleep disorder affects your body, mind, and spirit. That’s why we offer care that extends beyond treating your physical health. Our Circle of Care approach helps guide you and wraps you in the services you need to navigate your health journey.
Innovation Through Clinical Research
As a leading academic and research institution, we are always striving to find new techniques and apply the latest and best technology to your treatment. Specialists at Stanford Health Care ENT work with each other and with teams across the nation to spark groundbreaking research. We are committed to bringing you clinical trials that test new and better ways to diagnose, treat, and manage ENT conditions. Participating in a trial may give you access to the latest ENT therapies before they are widely available.
Clinical Trials
Clinical trials are research studies that evaluate a new medical approach, device, drug, or other treatment. As a Stanford Health Care patient, you may have access to the latest, advanced clinical trials.
Open trials refer to studies currently recruiting participants or that may recruit participants in the near future. Closed trials are not currently enrolling, but similar studies may open in the future.
Your Circle of Care
A diagnosis of a complex ear, nose, throat, or neck condition can disrupt your life. We are here to guide you through every challenge using our Circle of Care approach. You have a team supporting you and placing your needs at the center of every decision. Our multidisciplinary team works together to tailor treatments to your needs. Depending on your condition, you will be cared for by our otolaryngologists (ear, nose, and throat and head and neck surgeons) and advanced practice providers. Together, we prioritize your overall health and give you renewed hope for a better quality of life.
Our doctors work together to continually advance our approach to diagnosis and treatment, striving to improve your care experience. At weekly review meetings, experts from multiple specialties review cases that require more complex recommendations.
Your extended care team embodies the same cooperative spirit to support all your physical, emotional, and daily living needs. We aim to maximize your treatment success, while minimizing the impact that a sleep disorder and its treatment can have on your life.
Your Doctors
Otolaryngologist
Otolaryngologists are surgeons of the head and neck. They provide you with comprehensive medical and surgical care. These specialists have advanced training in treating conditions that affect all structures of the ear, nose, throat, head, and neck.
View All {0} OtolaryngologistsOral And Maxillofacial Surgeon
Oral and maxillofacial surgeons are dental specialists. They have unique training in surgery of the mouth, jaw, and face to help you breathe more easily.
View All {0} Oral And Maxillofacial SurgeonsAdvanced Practice Providers (APPs)
Advanced practice providers (APPs) include nurse practitioners and physician assistants. These skilled providers specialize in diagnosing and treating sleep disorders, and may assist with sleep surgery. They see patients independently and occasionally alongside your doctor. APPs can give you a thorough exam, write prescriptions, and help prevent or treat any issues. Our APPs meet weekly to discuss patient needs.
View All 1 Advanced Practice ProvidersExtended Care Team
Nurses and Nurse Coordinators
Nurses and nurse coordinators are registered nurses (RNs) who organize your sleep disorder care with your ENT and surgery team. They guide you from your first contact with our clinic through follow-up care. RNs can also assist you in finding counseling, financial help, and other support services.
Care Coordinators
Care coordinators provide you with information and assistance before and during your appointment.
- Medical Assistant: Medical assistants work with our team to help provide care. They may prepare you for an examination, assist your doctor, or take your vital signs before your appointment.
- Patient Care Coordinator: Our patient care coordinators help you with scheduling appointments and accessing your lab results. They are your first line of contact before you see your provider and will guide you during your sleep disorder care.
- Patient Access Representative: Patient access representatives can answer your questions about health insurance coverage, help you apply for health insurance, and refer you to our financial counselors.
Research Coordinators
Research coordinators help find candidates for possible participation in clinical research trials. Investigators at Stanford Health Care’s Sleep Surgery Clinic work to better understand, diagnose, and treat sleep disorders through clinical trials.
Support Services
Part of your sleep disorder care involves managing your emotional and spiritual health. We offer support services for you and your loved ones that can help you stay strong throughout your treatment and recovery.
We strive to make access to care as simple as possible. We have a network of convenient locations across the Bay Area and a wide range of support services. User-friendly virtual health tools and video appointments help you stay connected with your care team from home. We accept most insurance plans and offer discounted transportation, short-stay options, and international travel and translation services. We make it easy for you to get the care you deserve. Our team guides you through each step, so you can make decisions that are right for you.
Surgical treatment for sleep disorders is accessible and convenient at Stanford Health Care. Our scheduling staff can help coordinate your appointments. If needed, we’ll make sure you can see multiple providers during a single trip.
For Referring Physicians
PHYSICIAN HELPLINE
Fax: 650-320-9443
Monday–Friday, 8 a.m.–5 p.m.
Stanford Health Care provides comprehensive services to refer and track patients, as well as the latest information and news for physicians and office staff. For help with all referral needs and questions, visit Referral Information.
You may also submit a web referral or complete a referral form and fax it to 650-320-9443 or email the Referral Center at ReferralCenter@stanfordhealthcare.org.
- Send referrals online
- Place radiology and lab orders
- View referral status
- Access medical records
