%A Vanderveken,Olivier M. %A Beyers,Jolien %A Op de Beeck,Sara %A Dieltjens,Marijke %A Willemen,Marc %A Verbraecken,Johan A. %A De Backer,Wilfried A. %A Van de Heyning,Paul H. %D 2017 %J Frontiers in Neuroscience %C %F %G English %K Care Pathways,complete concentric collapse,Drug-induced sleep endoscopy,Hypoglossal nerve stimulation,neurostimulation,pathophysiology,sleep-disordered breathing %Q %R 10.3389/fnins.2017.00523 %W %L %M %P %7 %8 2017-September-21 %9 Review %+ Olivier M. Vanderveken,Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, University of Antwerp,Antwerp, Belgium,olivier.vanderveken@uza.be %+ Olivier M. Vanderveken,Department ENT, Head and Neck Surgery, Antwerp University Hospital,Antwerp, Belgium,olivier.vanderveken@uza.be %+ Olivier M. Vanderveken,Multidisciplinary Sleep Disorders Center, Antwerp University Hospital,Antwerp, Belgium,olivier.vanderveken@uza.be %# %! Upper Airway Stimulation system and clinical pathway %* %< %T Development of a Clinical Pathway and Technical Aspects of Upper Airway Stimulation Therapy for Obstructive Sleep Apnea %U https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fnins.2017.00523 %V 11 %0 JOURNAL ARTICLE %@ 1662-453X %X Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) is a common disease with high morbidity and related mortality. Narrowing and collapse of the pharyngeal airway during sleep characterize the disease, resulting in a decrease (hypopnea) or a complete cessation (apnea) of oronasal airflow. Upper airway stimulation (UAS), using electrical neurostimulation of the hypoglossal nerve (n. XII) synchronized with ventilation, is a novel, evolving treatment option. UAS was found to be an effective treatment in CPAP-intolerant patients. The treatment success is partly due to the strict selection of the patients, based on previous findings. Furthermore, post-operative follow-up is needed in order to maintain or improve treatment outcome. Therefore, a clinical pathway, which provides structure and standardization, is crucial. In this paper, the aim is to discuss the technical aspects of UAS therapy and to describe a clinical pathway to organize the care process of UAS for OSA in a structured and standardized way.