The Respiratory Fluctuation Index: A global metric of nasal airflow or thoracoabdominal wall movement time series to diagnose obstructive sleep apnea

Oral appliances (OA), a common treatment modality for obstructive sleep apnea (OSA), are not suitable for patients with nasal obstruction. Rhinomanometry, the gold standard technique to assess nasal airway resistance, is not readily available in sleep dentistry clinics. We demonstrate the use of a portable lightweight peak nasal inspiratory flow (PNIF) rate meter to objectively assess nasal airflow and utilized the Nasal Obstruction Symptom Evaluation (NOSE) scale to subjectively assess nasal obstruction in 97 patients with OSA and 105 healthy controls. We examined the correlations between the following variables between the groups: demographics, body mass index, PNIF, NOSE scale scores, apnea–hypopnea index (AHI), minimum SpO2 (SpO2min), Mallampati classification, and Epworth Sleepiness Scale (ESS) scores. Patients with OSA had significantly lower PNIF values and higher NOSE scores than controls. In the patient group, PNIF was not significantly correlated with AHI, SpO2min, Mallampati classification, or NOSE or ESS scores. Lower PNIF values and higher NOSE scores suggested impaired nasal airflow in the OSA group. As daytime PNIF measurement bears no relationship to AHI, this cannot be used alone in predicting the suitability of treatment for OSA with OA but can be used as an adjunct for making clinical decisions.

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Do the turbinates play an important role in obstructive sleep apnea syndrome? – Our experience

Romanian Journal of Rhinology ◽

10.1515/rjr-2016-0011 ◽

2016 ◽

Vol 6 (22) ◽

pp. 93-98

Author(s):

Nicoleta Dumitrescu ◽

Raluca Enache ◽

Codrut Sarafoleanu

Keyword(s):

Obstructive Sleep Apnea ◽

Sleep Apnea ◽

Obstructive Sleep Apnea Syndrome ◽

Sleep Apnea Syndrome ◽

Apnea Hypopnea Index ◽

Nasal Airflow ◽

Nasal Surgery ◽

Obstructive Sleep ◽

Significant Difference ◽

Apnea Syndrome

Abstract BACKGROUND. Nasal obstruction may trigger obstructive sleep apnea syndrome (OSAS) and it is considered to be a cofactor in its pathophysiology. However, the relation between cause and effect still remains a matter of debate. MATERIAL AND METHODS. 18 patients diagnosed with chronic hypertrophic rhinitis and obstructive sleep apnea syndrome were included in the present study. All patients underwent nasal surgery as the single treatment for their sleep breathing disorders. Rhinomanometric (total nasal airflow, logReff, logVR) and polygraphic parameters (apnea-hypopnea index - AHI, snore flags index – SFI) were evaluated pre- and 2 months postoperatively. RESULTS. There was a statistically significant difference between the values of the preoperative and postoperative total nasal airflow (p-value<0.0001). In case of AHI, there was a decrease in its value from 31.56 preoperatively to 30.03 postoperatively, but the difference was not statistically significant (p=0.937). The SFI, on the other hand, presented a significant decrease (p=0.05), from a mean value of 93.15 preoperatively to 56.02 after the surgery. The correlation of the total nasal airflow with AHI and SFI, revealed that nasal surgery had an important impact upon snoring characteristics (r=0.24) and less upon OSAS severity (r=0.21). CONCLUSION. The nasal cavity obstruction contributes less to OSAS, but still represents a disorder that needs to be corrected in case of such patients. Turbinates reduction surgery may be applied in the treatment of OSAS and combined with palate and/or tongue surgery.

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