Introduction. Adenoid hypertrophy leading to upper airway blockage is
the most common cause of sleep apnoea syndrome in children. Moreover,
the following disturbances can occur: normal speech resonance
impairment, middle ear ventilation difficulties, and the development of
an abnormal oral breathing pattern. Abnormal craniofacial growth and
occlusal abnormalities can be observed as well. Objectives.The aim of
the study was to confirm the relationship between respiratory disorders
with the impaired upper airway patency resulting from reduced
nasopharyngeal space. Moreover, an attempt was made to validate a new
medical device, a NasoOroSpirometer, for diagnosing respiratory
disorders resulting from adenoid hypertrophy. Design and Setting The
NasoOroSpirometer is made up of three anemometric sensors (two nasal and
one additional oral sensor) and is used to measure the airflow through
the upper airways (UA). A measurement of the flow of air simultaneously
through both nasal orifices was carried out in 105 children aged 4-8
years. The values obtained included the number of inhalations per
minute, the inspiratory time and the inhalation volume. Results and
discussion. The study demonstrated that children with adenoid
hypertrophy had a statistically significantly lower number of
inhalations through the nose than children from the control group. The
current results demonstrated no statistically significant difference
between the volume and the number of inhalations in both a combined
analysis and in one analysis conducted separately for each nasal
passage. The demonstrated statistically significant difference is most
probably due to the oral compensation for the inefficient nasal
respiratory pattern. A NasoOroSpirometric examination can be a screening
tool in the assessment of UA patency disorders and an indicator for the
eligibility for instrumental or imaging examinations.