SLEEP AND BREATHING (symposium session): Beyond efficacy: assessing patient centred outcomes and Mean Disease Alleviation (MDA)
Tracks
Track 4
| Saturday, November 14, 2026 |
| 3:45 PM - 5:15 PM |
Details
This symposium provides a rigorous technical appraisal of surgical interventions for Obstructive Sleep Apnea (OSA), exploring measures beyond isolated efficacy metrics to a multidimensional success framework. Central to this discussion is the concept of Mean Disease Alleviation (MDA)—a composite metric that integrates clinical efficacy with treatment durability and patient factors. The session evaluates longitudinal health outcomes and patient-reported quality of life (QoL) alongside cutting-edge developments in Upper Airway Stimulation (UAS). Professor Olivier Vanderveken challenges current evaluative standards by exploring "3D MDA," questioning whether our current modelling of disease alleviation captures the full physiological and symptomatic benefits targeted by therapies. With additional insights into single versus dual-nerve recruitment and trans-continental clinical perspectives, this session equips attendees with the analytical tools to measure what truly matters: the net clinical benefit of surgical intervention in a globalized healthcare landscape.
Speaker
Dr Stephen Kao
Ent Surgeon
Adelaide and Hills ENT
Long term cardiovascular health outcomes in OSA surgery
3:45 PM - 4:00 PMBiography
Dr. Stephen Kao is a fellowship-trained adult and paediatric sleep surgeon and otolaryngologist based in South Australia. He holds public consultant appointments within the Northern Adelaide Local Health Network alongside his private practice at Adelaide and Hills ENT.
Dr. Kao earned a Master of Clinical Science and a PhD, and is widely published in peer-reviewed sleep and otolaryngology literature. His clinical work centers on comprehensive, multidisciplinary management pathways for obstructive sleep apnea, bridging surgery with collaborative care alongside allied health and dental sleep medicine colleagues.
Dr Jonathan Lomas
Senior Medical Officer
Illawarra Shoalhaven Local Health District
Quality of life outcomes in OSA surgery
4:00 PM - 4:15 PMBiography
Dr Jonathan Lomas is a specialist Otolaryngologist, Head and Neck surgeon with experience in both adult and paediatric ENT conditions. He graduated from the Griffith School of Medicine after completing undergraduate studies in science and commerce at the University of Queensland. He completed ENT training in Queensland and attained fellowship with the Royal Australasian College of Surgeons. He is currently undertaking sub-specialty fellowship training in sleep apnoea surgery under Professor Stuart Mackay in Wollongong before returning to Queensland where he maintains multiple public hospital appointments as well as private practice commitments in Brisbane.
Prof Olivier Vanderveken
Antwerp University Hospital
3D MDA – are we measuring what matters?
4:15 PM - 4:35 PMBiography
Olivier M. Vanderveken is a full-time ENT and head and neck surgeon at the Antwerp University Hospital in Belgium. He has been appointed Chairman of the Department of ENT-HNS at Antwerp University Hospital. He holds a position as a professor at the Faculty of Medicine of the University of Antwerp. He received his medical degree from the University of Antwerp in 2001. He completed an ENT and head and neck surgery residency at the Antwerp University Hospital.
In 2007, he obtained a Ph.D. in Medical Sciences on the topic of the fundamental and multidisciplinary approach to upper airway collapse during sleep-disordered breathing. He is an Associate Editor of the Journal 'Sleep and Breathing' and the Deputy Editor of the ‘Journal of Dental Sleep Medicine’. In the past, he has been awarded several national and international scientific awards, including the “AADSM Clinical Research Award” in 2011, the “AADSM Clinical Excellence Award” in 2011, and the “Pierre Robin Academic Award” of AADSM in 2012 from the American Academy of Dental Sleep Medicine.
Vikram Padhye
Are 2 nerve outcomes better than 1?
4:35 PM - 4:50 PMBiography
Dr Julia Crawford
Ent Surgeon
St Vincent's Hospital/coblh
Outcomes following surgery for retrolingual obstruction
4:50 PM - 5:10 PMBiography
Dr Julia Crawford is an Australian trained Otolaryngologist, Head and Neck Surgeon. She completed further subspecialty training in Sleep Apnea Surgery under Prof Stuart Mackay and robotic head and neck surgery under Prof J Scott Magnuson. Dr Crawford works across the St Vincent’s Hosptial and Chris O’Brien Lifehouse Campuses in Sydney, Australia. She is President of the Australian and New Zealand Head and Neck Cancer Society, Surgical Education and Training supervisor for ENT at Chris O’Brien Lifehouse and Head of Department at St Vincent’s Public and Private Hospitals. She has recently been appointed as the Fellowship Appointed Counsellor to the RACS Council for Otolaryngology, Head and Neck Surgery.
Dr Nicholas Phillips
Smo
Queensland Health
Chair
Biography
