Anterior mandibular positioning device for treatment of snoring and obstructive sleep apnoea.

The aim of this study was to determine the severity of side effects and the influence on snoring and the AHI (apnoea-hypopnoea index = number of apnoeas and hypopnoeas per hour recording) of an anterior mandibular positioning device (AMP device) for treatment of snoring and obstructive sleep apnoea. Questionnaires were mailed to a consecutive series of 30 patients who had started treatment with an AMP device. The mean follow-up interval from receiving an AMP device to answering the questionnaire was 22 months.

Available techniques for objective assessment of upper airway narrowing in snoring and sleep apnea.

A number of techniques are available to determine the level of obstructive predominance in snoring and in the obstructive sleep apnea hypopnea syndrome (OSAHS): lateral cephalography, awake endoscopy, awake endoscopy with the Müller maneuver, endoscopy during sleep, endoscopy with nasal continuous positive airway pressure during sleep, fluoroscopy, CT scanning, MR scanning, manometry, and acoustic reflections. Data from different studies using various methods suggest that different patients have different patterns of narrowing or collapse of the pharynx. No reference standard exists for the determination of the predominant obstructive level during obstructive events, so further investigations are necessary to improve and validate existing methods and develop new techniques.

Flextube reflectometry and pressure-recordings for level diagnosis in obstructive sleep apnoea.

The objective of this study was to compare sound reflections in a flexible tube (flextube reflectometry) with pressure-catheter recordings (ApneaGraph) for identifying the predominant obstructive level of the upper airway during sleep. Seventeen males with suspected obstructive sleep apnoea syndrome (OSAS) were included in the study. The mean (standard deviation = SD) number of flextube narrowings per hour recording was 50.

Flextube reflectometry for level diagnosis in patients with obstructive sleep apnoea and snoring.

The aim of this study was to use sound reflections in a flexible tube (flextube reflectometry) for identifying the predominant obstructive level of the upper airway in a series of patients referred to a sleep clinic. We also wished to study the relationship between the number of flextube narrowings per hour recording and the RDI (respiratory disturbance index = apnoeas and hypopneas per hour recording) by ResMed AutoSet (AS), which is a device based on nasal pressure variations. We performed sleep studies on 54 patients referred for snoring or OSA; 1) at home with AS; 2) in hospital using flextube reflectometry and AS simultaneously.

Flextube reflectometry for determination of sites of upper airway narrowing in sleeping obstructive sleep apnoea patients.

The aim of this study was to examine a new technique based on sound reflections in a flexible tube for identifying obstructive sites of the upper airway during sleep. There was no significant difference between two nights in seven obstructive sleep apnoea (OSA) patients regarding the level distribution of pharyngeal narrowings, when the pharynx was divided into two segments (retropalatal and retrolingual). We also compared the level distribution determined by magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) with the level distribution found by flextube reflectometry in seven OSA patients.