Site Of Obstruction In Patients Research Articles

Determining the Site of Upper Airway Narrowing in Snorers Using a Noninvasive Technique.

BackgroundIn this study, we aimed to determine the site of obstruction if surgical treatment is considered. Flexible nasopharyngoscopy is an invasive procedure currently used for the assessment of snoring and the level of obstruction. Here, we examine the role of Somnoscreen™ plus, a noninvasive cardiorespiratory polysomnographic device, in identifying the site of obstruction in patients presenting with snoring.MethodologyThis cross-sectional study was conducted in the Sleep Research Center at King Abdulaziz University Hospital. Polysomnography was conducted using Somnoscreen™ plus. All participants underwent flexible nasopharyngoscopy after polysomnography.ResultsNasopharyngoscopy revealed that the most common site of obstruction was the nose and the soft palate (35.4%), followed by the soft palate alone (25%). Somnoscreen revealed that the site of obstruction was the nose and the soft palate in 18 (37.5%) patients and the nose alone in 16 (33.3%) patients. However, distal obstructions were not detected using Somnoscreen. The concordance of nasopharyngoscopy and Somnoscreen was 52.9%. However, it showed a discrepancy in identifying distal obstructions, which Somnoscreen™ plus failed to detect.ConclusionsSomnoscreen appears to be sensitive for identifying proximal airway obstructions. The audio signal recordings can potentially be used as a tool to detect the site of airway obstruction in snoring; however, further studies are needed.

An Assessment of the Surgical Results of the Site-Directed Surgical Treatment in Obstructive Sleep Apnoea Syndrome

Background: Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) has cardiovascular, neurological, and social complications. Surgical treatment has the potential to improve airway patency but when and which surgery should be done is a controversy. Aims and objectives: To estimate the site of obstruction in patients with OSAS and to assess the surgical results of the site (of obstruction) directed surgical treatment. Methodology: Twenty patients with OSAS were included in the study with Eight adults and Twelve children. It was a prospective study. All patients were assessed for the airway collapse and surgery was done accordingly. Repeat PSG was done after surgery for success rate after 4 months of follow up. Result: 17 patients successfully completed the follow-up. Four (50%) adults and Two (17%) children have grade I or II tonsils while Four (50%) of adults and Ten (83%) children have tonsil size grade III or IV. Seven (88%) adults and one (8%) of the children have adenoid hypertrophy up to grade II. One adult (12%) and nine children (75%) have grade III Adenoid size. Two children (17%) have Adenoid grade IV size. In Four patients retropalatal more than retroglossal collapse was found (50%). One patient (12%) had retroglossal more than retropalatal collapse other one had only retropalatal collapse, and the other one had retroglossal collapse. ESS (Epworth sleepiness scale) decreased postoperatively in both groups. There is a significant change in AHI with the median pre-op AHI being 40.19 to median post-op AHI being 11.35 with a p-value 0.017. Apnea-hypopnea index (AHI) in children pre-operatively was 12.98 (median) changed to 2.15 (median) which is statistically significant. Only one adult patient (12%) is surgically cured while in five patients (63%) surgical success achieved with a surgical success rate of 5/8 (63%). Whereas only one patient is surgically cured 1/8 (13%). Eight patients achieved surgical success with a total success rate of 8/9 (89%). While only two patients achieved surgical cure (23%) among children. Conclusion: The outcome of site-directed surgical treatment is that it is a satisfactory way of treatment of OSAS with an overall success rate of 76%.

Tongue peak pressure: a tool to aid in the identification of obstruction sites in patients with obstructive sleep apnea/hypopnea syndrome.

Purpose of this study was to evaluate whether tongue peak pressure measured using the Iowa Oral Performance Instrument is correlated with the topographic site of obstruction in patients with obstructive sleep apnea/hypopnea syndrome observed during drug-induced sleep endoscopy. Thirty-five consecutive adult patients (29 men, 6 women) were prospectively enrolled after having been diagnosed with severe obstructive sleep apnea/hypopnea syndrome by polysomnography. An apnea-hypopnea index > 30 was confirmed, and age, gender, and body mass index were recorded by Epworth Sleepiness Scale questionnaire, and a thorough evaluation of the upper airway by video-flexible endoscopy. Twenty healthy controls according to age and sex were chosen for IOPI measurements. After drug-induced sleep endoscopy, a topographic diagnosis was done using the VOTE classification. Tongue and lip peak pressures were both measured using the Iowa Oral Performance Instrument in all patients and in 20 healthy controls. Main outcomes and measures: the correlations between office findings, Iowa Oral Performance Instrument measures, and the VOTE tongue classification during drug-induced sleep endoscopy (T0, T1, T2) were then investigated. RESULTS: The average Iowa Oral Performance Instrument tongue and lip pressure were 44.02 ± 12.29 and 15.03 ± 3.71kPa, respectively. The Iowa Oral Performance Instrument scores were both significantly lower than values in healthy controls (P< 0.001). The VOTE classification referring to the tongue position was T0 in 13 cases (37.1%), T1 in 12 cases (34.3%), and T2 in 10 cases (28.6%). A significant correlation was found between the Iowa Oral Performance Instrument tongue pressure and the T size during drug-induced sleep endoscopy (Kruskal-Wallis χ2 25.82; P ≤ 0.001). CONCLUSIONS: In our experience, the Iowa Oral Performance Instrument is a useful tool for evaluating tongue collapse for the topographic diagnosis of patients with obstructive sleep apnea/hypopnea syndrome.

Depth-dependent changes of obstruction patterns under increasing sedation during drug-induced sedation endoscopy: results of a German monocentric clinical trial.

Drug-induced sedation endoscopy (DISE) and simulated snoring (SimS) can locate the site of obstruction in patients with sleep-disordered breathing (SDB). There is clinical evidence for a change in collapsibility of the upper airway depending on the depth of sedation. So far, a dose-response relationship between sedation and collapsibility has not been demonstrated. DISE and SimS were performed in 60 consecutive patients with SDB under monitoring of depth of sedation by BiSpectral Index® (BIS). Initially, SimS was conducted followed by DISE using bolus application of propofol. Sedation was performed up to a sedation level representing slow wave sleep (BIS=40). The collapsibility of the upper airway was documented at decreasing sedation levels by an identical pictogram classification. For all levels and patterns of obstruction, a dose-dependent increase in the collapsibility of the upper airway was detected. A maximum collapsibility was achieved at sedation levels representing slow wave sleep. The collapsibility during SimS corresponded to light sleep stages and did not cover slow wave sleep. A dose-dependent change of patterns of obstructions can be observed during DISE under BIS monitoring indicating sedation depth. The obtained patterns of obstruction during DISE and SimS should thus be interpreted with regard to the sedation depth.

Drug-Induced Sleep Endoscopy Changes the Treatment Concept in Patients with Obstructive Sleep Apnoea.

The present study evaluated whether drug-induced sleep endoscopy (DISE) helps identify the site of obstruction in patients with obstructive sleep apnoea (OSA). A total of 51 consecutive patients with polysomnography-confirmed OSA were enrolled in this prospective study. The presumed site of obstruction was determined according to history, otorhinolaryngologic examination, and polysomnography and a therapeutic plan designed before DISE. In 11 patients with severe OSA and/or previously failed continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) treatment, DISE with simultaneous CPAP was performed. Multilevel collapse was noted in 49 patients (96.1%). The most frequent multilevel collapse was palatal, oropharyngeal, and tongue base collapse (n = 17, 33.3%), followed by palatal and oropharyngeal collapse (n = 12, 23.5%). Pathology of the larynx (epiglottis) was observed in 16 patients (31.4%). The laryngeal obstruction as a reason for intolerance of CPAP was observed in 3/11 (27.3%) patients. After DISE, the surgical plan was changed in 31 patients (60.8%). The results indicate that DISE helps identify the site of obstruction in the upper airways in patients with OSA more accurately and that the larynx plays an important role in OSA.

Surgery for obstructive sleep apnea: Sleep endoscopy determinants of outcome

Although drug-induced sleep endoscopy is often employed to determine the site of obstruction in patients with obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) who will undergo upper airway surgery, it remains unknown whether its findings are associated with surgical outcome. This study tested the hypothesis that drug-induced sleep endoscopy variables can predict the outcome of upper airway surgery in OSA patients. Case series retrospective analysis. Forty-nine OSA patients (41 male; mean apnea-hypopnea index [AHI] 30.9 ± 18.5 events/hour) underwent propofol-induced sleep endoscopy followed by upper airway surgery (palatal surgery, and/or radiofrequency ablation of the tongue base, and/or hyoid suspension) and subsequently a follow-up polysomnography to assess surgical outcome. Twenty-three patients (47%) were responders, and twenty-nine were nonresponders (53%). Nonresponders had a higher occurrence of complete or partial circumferential collapse at velum and complete antero-posterior collapse at tongue base or epiglottis in comparison with responders. Multivariate logistic regression analysis revealed that among baseline clinical and polysomnographic characteristics (e.g., AHI, body mass index) and sleep endoscopy findings, the presence of complete circumferential collapse at velum, and of complete antero-posterior collapse at tongue base were the only independent predictors of upper airway surgery failure. Drug-induced sleep endoscopy can be used to predict higher likelihood of response to upper airway surgery in OSA.

Smoking-related Small Airway Disease—A Review and Update

The term "small airway disease" has been used in reference to abnormalities occurring secondary to cigarette smoking in the context of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), and the small airways are the major site of obstruction in patients with COPD. The histologic features associated with smoking-related small airway disease are largely nonspecific and overlap with those of other bronchiolitides. The pathogenesis of smoking-related small airway disease is poorly understood; however, insights into the development of airway remodeling and matrix production continue to evolve. The aim of this article will be to review the histologic findings and pathogenesis of smoking-related small airway disease in the context of COPD, and review other small airway disorders affecting cigarette smokers, namely respiratory bronchiolitis and Langerhans cell histiocytosis, and a newly described entity of respiratory bronchiolitis with fibrosis and associated issues with this entity.

Determining the site of airway obstruction in obstructive sleep apnea with airway pressure measurements during sleep.

To determine the site(s) of upper airway obstruction in patients with obstructive sleep apnea syndrome (OSAS) and their changes during sleep with upper airway (UA) pressure measurement; and to analyze the correspondence between the UA pressure measurement and polysomnography (PSG). Thirty patients with OSAS underwent UA pressure measurement. The catheter with five solid-state ultraminiature sensors was inserted through the patients' upper airway to the esophagus. The sensors were located at the nasopharynx, oropharynx, tongue base, hypopharynx, and esophagus. The lower limit of UA obstruction was determined by relying on the observed pressure pattern. 1) During inspiration, obstruction occurred associated with an increased negative inspiratory pressure inferior to the site of obstruction and a disappeared negative inspiratory pressure above the site of obstruction; 2) three patterns of obstruction were observed; 3) the site of obstruction was located at the site of the palate; 4) velopharyngeal obstruction and tongue-pharynx obstruction were all present; 5) nasopharyngeal obstruction velopharyngeal obstruction and tongue-pharynx obstruction were all present; and 6) peak inspiratory pressure differences between the normal breath and apnea were associated with the longest apnea interval (P <.05). UA pressure measurement can evaluate the site of obstruction in patients with OSAS and their changes during sleep. Peak inspiratory pressure differences between normal breath and apnea can show the severity of OSAS.

Advancement of the mandible improves velopharyngeal airway patency.

The velopharynx is the most common site of obstruction in patients with obstructive sleep apnea (OSA). Advancement of the mandible effectively reverses the pharyngeal obstruction. Accordingly, we hypothesized that mandibular advancement increases cross-sectional area of several segments of the upper airway, including the velopharynx and the oropharynx. We examined the pressure-area properties of the pharyngeal airway in 13 patients with OSA. Under general anesthesia and total muscle paralysis, the pharynx was visualized with an endoscope connected to a video-recording system. During an experimentally induced apnea, we manipulated the nasal pressure from 20 cmH2O to the point of total closure at the velopharynx. The procedure was repeated after maximal forward displacement of the mandible. Measurements of the cross-sectional area at different levels of nasal pressure allowed construction of a static pressure-area relationship of the "passive pharynx," where active neuromuscular factors are suppressed. In 12 of 13 patients with OSA, advancement of the mandible stabilized the airway by reducing the closing pressure and increasing the area at any airway pressure. Thus the maneuver shifted the static pressure-area curve of the velopharynx and the oropharynx upward in these patients. We conclude that anterior movement of the mandible widens the retropalatal airway as well as that at the base of the tongue in the passive pharynx of OSA patients.

Endoscopic Retrograde Cholangiopancreatography (ERCP) in the Diagnosis of Biliary and Pancreatic Duct Disease: a Prospective Study on 668 Jordanian Patients

Endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography (ERCP) is the method of choice in establishing the nature and the site of common bile and pancreatic duct disease and related complications. It was used in 668 Jordanian patients who presented with biliary or pancreatic disease and unexplained upper abdominal pain. Common bile duct (CBD) stones, postsurgical traumatic CBD strictures, papillary stenosis and malignant strictures were the most common findings in this study. The incidence of malignant strictures was less and the postsurgical CBD injuries, mainly CBD complete ligation, were more than what was reported by others. This procedure was also valuable in the investigation of unexplained upper abdominal pain and pancreatic disease.

Site of airway obstruction in patients with obstructive sleep apnea before and after uvulopalatopharyngoplasty

This study describes a simple method, based on a movable catheter technique, for use during routine polysomnography to identify the site of obstruction, and this has been applied to 51 patients with suspected sleep apnea. The obstruction was found to be retropalatal in 30, retrolingual in 7, and could not be determined in 14 patients (12 had no sleep apnea, 1 did not sleep, and 1 had central sleep apnea). Twelve of these patients had uvulopalatopharyngoplasty with preoperative and postoperative polysomnograms to determine the site of obstruction. The preoperative obstruction was retropalatal in nine and retrolingual in three. Postoperatively, four patients (one with retrolingual obstruction and three with retropalatal obstruction) no longer had sleep apnea. In the remaining eight patients, the site of obstruction was unchanged from the preoperative one. Several conclusions result: 1. the movable catheter technique offers a simple way to determine the site of obstruction in patients with significant obstructive sleep apnea, 2. most such patients obstruct in the retropalatal region, and 3. preoperative localization of the site of obstruction to the retropalatal region does not seem to improve the surgical outcome of uvulopalatopharyngoplasty.

Diagnostic utility of ultrasonography in hepatic venous outflow tract obstruction in a tropical country

The present study was undertaken to define the role of ultrasonography (US) in screening and diagnosis of hepatic venous outflow tract obstruction. Forty-five consecutive patients clinically suspected to have hepatic venous outflow tract obstruction were included in the study for screening by US and for assessment of patency or block in the hepatic vein (HV) and/or inferior vena cava (IVC). Four patients were excluded from the study. Eleven patients had a diagnosis other than hepatic venous outflow tract obstruction and all these patients were found to have patent HV and IVC. Thirty patients were finally diagnosed to have hepatic venous outflow tract obstruction. Using US, as a screening test 27 (90%) out of 30 such cases were correctly identified as cases of hepatic venous outflow tract obstruction and in these cases the site of block in hepatic venous outflow tract (major HV and/or IVC) was correctly diagnosed in 90% of the cases. Our results indicate that US is a sensitive and accurate test and should be the initial investigation for screening and identifying the site of obstruction in patients with hepatic venous outflow tract obstruction.

Site of Upper Airway Obstruction in Patients With Idiopathic Obstructive Sleep Apnea

Reporting at the Eastern Section meeting of the Triological Society, Dr Chapin, Toronto, described an interesting new method to locate the precise site of obstruction in patients with obstructive sleep apnea. The technique uses a thin catheter to measure inspiratory airflow pressures at various levels of the airway during sleep. Of the ten patients studied, five were found to be obstructed at the level of the soft palate and five at the base of the tongue. Dr Chapin is now trying to determine if the indicated site of obstruction correlates with response to surgical treatment.

Site of upper airway obstruction in patients with idiopathic obstructive sleep apnea.

We developed a technique to determine the site of upper airway obstruction in patients with idiopathic obstructive sleep apnea (OSA). This technique is based on the analysis of inspiratory airflow pressures at various levels of the pharyngeal airway during sleep. Pharyngeal pressure was measured by a moveable Millar catheter pressure transducer. The catheter's position in the airway was localized radiographically. Ten patients with OSA were tested: five patients were found to have upper airway obstruction at the level of the soft palate, and five had upper airway obstruction at the base of the tongue. We concluded that measuring airway pressures at multiple sites along the airway is useful in localizing the site of obstruction in patients with OSA, and may have important implications in terms of the patient's response to surgical treatment.