EVALUATION OF UPPER AIRWAY IN PATIENTS WITH OBSTRUCTIVE SLEEP APNEA SYNDROME
1VKV Amerikan Hastanesi, Kulak Burun Boğaz Kliniği, İstanbul, Türkiye Introduction: Obstructive sleep apnea syndrome (OSAS) is the most common type of sleep related sleeping disorders. OSAS is characterized by repetitive collapse of the upper airway, mostly in pharyngeal part. Positive airway pressure (PAP)devices are accepted worldwide as the gold standart treatment modality. For patients, who can not use PAP devices for different reasons, there are alternative procedures. Identifying the site of obstruction and pattern of airway collapse are especially important in the management of airway with these alternative procedures. In this study we aimed to compare static and dynamic evaluation methods of upper airway in identifying the site and pattern of obstruction of the airway.Methods: Thirty-four patients, who were diagnosed as OSAS are involved in our study. As static evaluation methods, nose and throat physical examination and Müller Maneuver were performed and drug induced sleep endoscopy (DISE) was performed as the dynamic evaluation method to all patients to evaluate the airway in the sites of velum, oropharynx, tongue base and epiglottis.
Results: After DISE, the site and pattern of obstruction was found different in %38 of the patients compared to static evaluation findings. In velum and tongue base sites, the differences were found statistically significant.
Discussion and Conclusion: For deciding surgical approach appropriate for the patient, before hypoglossus nerve stimulator implantation and detecting efficacy of oral appliances, dynamic evaluation of the the upper airway is important. DISE as a dynamic evaluation method, seems to offer better results with the alternative treatment modalities in patients with OSAS.
Keywords : Obstructive sleep apnea syndrome, sleep endoscopy, Müller Maneuver