Services & Procedures

Transoral Robotic Surgery (TORS)

Over ten million Americans suffer from obstructive sleep apnea (OSA), a blockage in the airway during sleep that, if left untreated, can lead to health problems ranging from high blood pressure and memory loss to heart attack, impotence, stroke and diabetes. OSA has also been associated with daytime somnolence, resulting in auto accidents. For all these reasons, the condition has been called a "silent killer."

Among the many purported treatments for sleep apnea, few are very effective. The best non-surgical treatment is a CPAP device; however, only half of the patients who start with CPAP can tolerate it in the long run. In some cases, laser surgery or dental implants can help. But until recently, many patients with significant obstructive sleep apnea or with obstruction involving the base of the tongue had to opt for a very aggressive surgical option: one that pushes the jaw forward, often resulting in painful recovery and a change in the shape of the face.

As Director of Sleep Disorder & Robotic Surgery at New York-Presbyterian Hospital/Columbia University Medical Center, Dr. Jeffrey Ahn has been at the forefront of piloting a groundbreaking surgical alternative for these patients: da Vinci® transoral robotic surgery for obstructive sleep apnea.

Transoral robotic surgery (TORS) is a minimally invasive method that allows the surgeon to operate through the patient’s mouth, without any external incisions. Employing the da Vinci® surgical system, Dr. Ahn uses small robotic arms and a three-dimensional magnified high resolution camera to perform the surgery, whose results are more accurate as well as more patient-friendly.

Dr. Ahn was among the first surgeons in the world to perform da Vinci® transoral robotic surgeries for obstructive sleep apnea. As documented in the da Vinci® surgical records, he was also the first surgeon in the New York metropolitan area to specialize in the surgery, and has performed more TORS for OSA than any surgeon in the area. Meanwhile, he has innovated a method within TORS that focuses not only on tongue reduction but also on modification of the epiglottis, thus improving the surgery’s success rates.

Read more about robotic surgery for sleep apnea.