Dr. Stanley Liu, sleep apnea surgeon in Fort Lauderdale
Stanford / Elsevier rankingWorld's Top 2% Scientists in otorhinolaryngology (ENT)

Stanley Liu, MD, DDS, FACS Sleep Surgeon

DISE DOME MMA INSPIRE UPPP NASAL

Seen at NSU Health in Fort Lauderdale. National and international consultations.

About Dr. Liu Contact Dr. Liu

Why does Dr. Stanley Liu practice sleep surgery?

Dr. Liu believes upper airway resistance syndrome and obstructive sleep apnea exist on a continuum, from early missed milestones in facial and airway development to adult disease. His approach integrates what different healthcare disciplines share, rather than where they divide, with the goal of restoring sleep breathing health.

How Dr. Liu thinks about sleep apnea ›

Who is Dr. Stanley Liu?

Dr. Stanley Liu is a maxillofacial and ENT fellowship-trained sleep surgeon. He is a former Associate Professor of Otolaryngology at Stanford, where he also served as the Sleep Surgery Fellowship Director. He now directs the NSU Health Sleep and Breathe Wellness Center in Fort Lauderdale, Florida.

He is dual-trained in dentistry and medicine through oral and maxillofacial surgery and otolaryngology sleep surgery. He lectures worldwide on integrated treatment of obstructive sleep apnea (OSA), covering maxillary expansion (DOME), preservation pharyngoplasty (UPPP), maxillomandibular advancement (MMA), and hypoglossal nerve stimulation (Inspire). He frames sleep surgery as restoring missed milestones in growth and development, the through-line of his keynote lectures.

His most significant work is the update of the Stanford Sleep Surgery Protocol first developed by his mentors, Dr. Robert Riley and Dr. Nelson Powell. He moved it from a phased approach into a continuum of medical, dental, and surgical care. The new protocol brought drug-induced sleep endoscopy (DISE) into the sequencing of esthetically balanced MMA. It also introduced naso-maxillary expansion (DOME), developed with guidance from Dr. Christian Guilleminault.

Dr. Liu has authored more than 120 peer-reviewed publications and keynoted the American Academy of Sleep Medicine SLEEP meeting in 2019 and the World Sleep Congress in 2023. His talks, grand rounds, invited professorships, and keynotes worldwide are on the Invited Talks page.

Read his story ›

What treatments does Dr. Stanley Liu offer for sleep-disordered breathing?

Dr. Liu updated the original Riley-Powell Stanford Sleep Surgery Protocol, which guides a comprehensive pathway for OSA care. When surgery is indicated, his practice includes nasal surgery, preservation uvulopalatopharyngoplasty (UPPP), maxillary expansion (DOME), hypoglossal nerve stimulation (Inspire), and maxillomandibular advancement (MMA). The most important treatment he offers is not a procedure, but the diagnosis, treatment planning, and long-term management.

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Evaluation

Drug-induced sleep endoscopy

Seeing where the airway collapses during sleep, before any plan is made.
Nasal airway

Nasal surgery

Septoplasty and inferior turbinate reduction to open the nasal airway.
Soft palate

Preservation UPPP

Palate surgery that preserves the muscle and function of the soft palate.
Upper jaw and nose

Maxillary expansion (DOME)

Distraction osteogenesis maxillary expansion, widening the upper jaw and nasal floor.
Tongue

Inspire (hypoglossal nerve stimulation)

An implant that keeps the tongue from falling back during sleep.
Both jaws

Maxillomandibular advancement

Moving both jaws forward to enlarge the airway, planned for bite and face.
See the full treatment overview

Sleep apnea treatment

Tonsils, tongue tie, myofunctional therapy, and outcomes.

Where does Dr. Stanley Liu practice?

Dr. Liu provides care at the NSU Health Sleep and Breathe Wellness Center. Colleagues and patients also consult with him nationally and internationally.

Contact Dr. Liu ›

What patients say

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“Importantly, the impact of Dr. Liu’s guidance extended beyond me. Because he helped me understand airway-related issues so clearly, I was able to recognize similar concerns in my family, and my children are now undergoing treatment to improve their health as well. The fact he turned a single patient encounter into broader family health improvement speaks volumes about the quality of his communication and care.”
Verified NSU Health patient
“Excellent and thoughtful approach to understanding the root causes of my sleep apnea. Dr. Liu is clearly experienced and a thought leader in this space.”
Verified Stanford Health Care patient
“I was extremely impressed with Dr. Liu... his entire time with me was very professional, kind, interested in my concerns and questions, very courteous, and completely thorough in [his] explanation of the Inspire [HGNS] procedure.”
Verified Stanford Health Care patient
“Dr. Liu has performed the most outstanding repair work on my catastrophically broken jaw. I am forever grateful for his skill, professionalism and compassion.”
Verified Stanford Health Care patient
“Phenomenal surgeon. Spent as much time as was needed to do minor operation. Felt that [he] was a highly competent physician.”
Verified Stanford Health Care patient
“As late as 1970, the practice of medicine ended when the patient fell asleep.”
Dr. Bill Dement, founding president of the American Academy of Sleep Medicine (video), author of The Promise of Sleep

Contact Dr. Liu

To discover how Dr. Liu can help you restore healthy breathing during sleep, reach out directly or start with the common questions.

Contact Dr. Liu Common questions

Explore further: About Dr. Stanley Liu · Publications · Invited Talks · Blog