Sj. Quinn et al., OBSERVATION OF THE MECHANISM OF SNORING USING SLEEP NASENDOSCOPY, Clinical otolaryngology and allied sciences, 20(4), 1995, pp. 360-364
We have performed sleep nasendoscopy on 54 adult snorers in whom obstr
uctive sleep apnoea had been excluded by an overnight sleep study. The
purpose of the study was to identify the site or sites of noise produ
ction in each case. This was successfully achieved in 50 of the 54 and
70% showed palatal flutter snoring only. In a further 20%, palatal fl
utter snoring was combined with evidence of noise generation at anothe
r site. The second site was supraglottic in 10%, tonsillar in 8% and t
ongue base in 2%. The tongue base was also the sole site of noise gene
ration in 8% and the epiglottis was the sole site in 2%. This study su
ggests that sleep nasendoscopy can identify different mechanisms of sn
oring in individual patients. This information is likely to be of use
in formulating a logical surgical treatment plan.