Approach to obstructive sleep apnea syndrome at Tokyo Dental College, Ichikawa General Hospital.

In this communication, we report the current status of OSAS (Obstructive Sleep Apnea Syndrome) in the southern region of Higashikatsushika around Ichikawa City, our effort to improve patient QOL as well as to establish diagnostic and therapeutic methods, and the results of a comparison of therapeutic options with the focus on improvement of compliance by using nCPAP (nasal continuous positive airway pressure). We examined 112 patients who visited the Otolaryngology Department at Tokyo Dental College, Ichikawa General Hospital, with the chief complaint of nocturnal snoring or sleep apnea from January 2001 to April 2003 and underwent all-night PSG (polysomnography). Based upon the results of these all-night PSGs, 89 and 23 patients were diagnosed as having OSAS and simple snoring, respectively. Using the AHI classification of severity, 58 and 31 patients were assessed as having severe OSAS and mild OSAS, respectively. (1) nCPAP was tried in 61 patients, and 39 patients (63%) were able to continue it. After the introduction of nCPAP, surgery was performed in 18 patients (30%). As a result, weaning from nCPAP was successfully achieved in 10 cases, compliance with nCPAP was improved in six cases, alleviation of symptoms (decreased pressure) was seen in one case, and aggravation was noted in one case. In addition, four patients (7%) unilaterally discontinued nCPAP. (2) Surgery was performed in 34 patients, and 18 of them had surgery after nCPAP was tried. (3) We asked the dental department to make OAs (oral appliances) for 31 patients but seven of them did not attend the department, so a total of 24 patients used OAs. Fourteen patients (58%) were able to tolerate an OA for 3 months or more. Based on these results, we are hoping to achieve a better control of OSAS by combining nCPAP and other modalities.