No abstract

The etiology of upper airway collapsibility in patients with snoring and obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) remains unclear. Local muscular abnormalities, including neurogenic lesions, could be a contributory factor. The aim of this study was to histologically evaluate the hypothesis of a progressive snorers disease. Biopsies of palatopharyngeal muscle were obtained from 21 patients with habitual snoring and different degrees of upper airway obstruction (10 patients with OSA) and 10 nonsnoring control subjects. Morphological abnormalities, including neurogenic signs (e.g., type grouping), were blindly quantified. The degree of abnormality was significantly increased in patients compared with control subjects. The individual score of abnormalities was significantly correlated to the percentage periodic obstructive breathing but not to oxygen desaturation index. Analyses of the individual fiber-size spectra demonstrated a significantly increased number of hypertrophied and/or atrophied fibers in patients compared with controls. The subjects were also divided into three groups according to their type of nocturnal breathing, i.e., nonsnorers, patients with < 20%, and patients with > or = 45% obstructive breathing. These groups correlated significantly with the degree of abnormality and pathological fiber-size spectra. In conclusion, these results support the hypothesis of a progressive local neurogenic lesion, caused by the trauma of snoring, as a possible contributory factor to upper airway collapsibility.

No abstract

Fifty unselected consecutive patients with obstructive sleep apnea syndrome (OSAS) diagnosed by nocturnal recordings of respiration movements by a static charge sensitive bed (SCSB) and oximetry, alone or combined with polysomnography, were studied. Renewed SCSB-oximetry recordings evaluated treatment. Six months after surgery, 30 of 50 were classified as responders. Twenty-one months after surgery, 19 of 49 were responders. Patients who relapsed showed a significant increase in mean body mass index (BMI). Four years after surgery, 24 of 48 patients were responders. Preoperative BMI was significantly lower in the responder group. Subsequent treatment was required in 15 nonresponders. There was no correlation between patients' subjective improvement and objective results. The study resulted in the following conclusions: 1. The responder rate to UPPP in unselected patients is low. 2. Obesity and high indices of nocturnal respiratory disturbance are negative predictors. 3. The patients' subjective recovery alone must not be used for postoperative evaluation. 4. With regular follow-up and the use of the treatment alternatives available today, the majority of OSAS patients can receive effective treatment.