Dr. Abdelwahab is an Otolaryngology - Head and Neck Surgeon, also known as an ear, nose, and throat doctor, who specializes in treatment of obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) and has a passion for surgical treatments for OSA and non-CPAP compliant patients. He completed his clinical training at Stanford University in California as a fellow and a clinical instructor. He graduated from the Stanford sleep surgery fellowship program after dual clinical training in maxillofacial surgery and otolaryngology. He also completed a scholarship at Stanford Facial Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery for 3 years through a joint supervision PhD program. His PhD was focused on studying imaging and blood supply to different parts of the face. Afterwards, he was recruited to MUSC to build a sleep surgery program in the southeast of the country.
As the only fellowship-trained sleep surgeon in the Southeast, he is committed to empower the field of sleep surgery combining both soft tissue and skeletal surgery based on each patient's specific airway needs and risk factors. These procedures include advanced nasal surgery, palate and pharyngeal preservation procedures, upper airway stimulation surgery, and jaw advancement surgery. These procedures are customized using cutting-edge technology to improve your airway to sleep and breathe better. As we gear towards precision medicine, a specific treatment plan is made just for you.
As a surgeon scientist, he has focused his research on understanding patients perception and needs through multiple studies on patient outcome measures. With his background in facial plastic surgery, he puts into account facial balance when deciding on your surgical plan, if skeletal work is required. He has presented his research nationally and internationally in different countries. He is a member of The American Academy of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery and American Academy of Facial Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery.
Obstructive sleep apnea affects more than 900 million above the age of 30 years old worldwide, and 425 million have moderate to severe disease. It manifests with different daytime and nighttime symptoms such as sleepiness, fatigue, snoring, dry mouth, depression, and morning headaches because of the decreased oxygen levels in the blood supplying different organs (as brain, heart, kidneys, adrenals, etc.). Its detrimental impact extends to negatively influence the society and the economy, both on the personal and national levels (65-165 billion USD in the US).