Glossary

• Adenoid: single midline lymph gland above the soft palate at the very back of the nose.
• Apnea: absence of breathing.
• Blepharoplasty: Eyelid surgery to improve the appearance of upper eyelids, lower eyelids or both.
• BMI: body mass index, a height and weight adjustment quotient used for assessing obesity.
• Ectropion: When the lower eyelid is rolled outward after eyelid surgery; often a temporary condition.
• Epiglottis: soft tissue flap covering the vocal cords at the base of the tongue.
• General anesthesia: Drugs and/or gases used during an operation to relieve pain and alter consciousness.
• Graves’ disease: . The most common cause of hyperthyroidism is Graves’ disease, a problem where the body’s immune system over stimulates the thyroid. Graves’ disease sometimes causes eye problems that make the eyes look like they’re bulging (exophthalmos).
• goiter: An enlarged thyroid gland is called a goiter.
• Hashimoto thyroiditis: The most common cause of hypothyroidism is Hashimoto thyroiditis. In people with this condition, the body’s immune system (the system that helps your body fight infection) mistakes the thyroid gland for something it needs to attack.
• Hematoma: Blood pooling beneath the skin.
• hyperthyroidism: When the thyroid works too hard, it’s called hyperthyroidism. If you have hyperthyroidism, your body runs faster.
• Hypopnea: decreased breathing with at least 50% reduction in air flow.
• hypothyroidism: When the thyroid doesn’t work hard enough, it’s called hypothyroidism. If you have hypothyroidism, your body runs more slowly and you have less energy.
• Intravenous sedation: Sedatives administered by injection into a vein to help you relax.
• Local anesthesia: A drug injected directly to the site of an incision during an operation to relieve pain.
• LSAT: lowest oxygen saturation, normal saturation at least 95%.
• Mandible: lower jaw bone.
• Maxilla: upper jaw bone.
• Nasal Septum: the internal midline partition dividing the nose into right and left nasal chambers.
• nodules: Your thyroid gland may develop one or more small lumps. These lumps are called nodules. If you have nodules, your thyroid usually continues to work at the right pace (Euthyroid).
• RDI: respiratory disturbance index, a measure of OSA severity that averages the number of apnea and hypopnea events in a given hour, 20-40 mild, 40-60 moderate, >60 events per hour severe.
• Retrognathia: small lower jaw and chin that predispose to airway blockage at the tongue base.
• Skin resurfacing: Treatment to improve the texture, clarity and overall appearance of your skin.
• Sleep architecture: characteristic EEG pattern of the frequency and duration of the different stages of sleep.
• Soft palate: movable part of the roof of the mouth.
• Sutures: Stitches used by surgeons to hold skin and tissue together.
• thyroid gland: One of the endocrine glands, which make hormones to regulate physiological functions in your body.
• thyroid hormone (TSH): Thyroid hormone acts as the thyroid’s messenger. Your thyroid gland makes thyroid hormone from iodine, which is absorbed from the food you eat. When a large amount of thyroid hormone is produced, the cells work faster. When less thyroid hormone is produced, the cells work slower.
• Tonsils: paired mounds of lymph glands on each side of the throat.
• Transconjunctival incision: Incision hidden inside the lower eyelid.
• Turbinates: paired ridges in both nasal cavities that can get swollen in response to allergy.
• Uvula: small midline dangling part of the soft palate.