European archives of oto-rhino-laryngology : official journal of the European Federation of Oto-Rhino-Laryngological Societies (EUFOS) : affiliated with the German Society for Oto-Rhino-Laryngology - Head and Neck Surgery
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Eur Arch Otorhinolaryngol · Oct 2014
Comparative StudyComparison of drug-induced sleep endoscopy and upper airway computed tomography in obstructive sleep apnea patients.
The purpose of the present study was to evaluate the associations between the findings of drug-induced sleep endoscopy (DISE) and upper airway computed tomography (UACT) in obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) patients. This study was a non-randomized, prospective, clinical trial. We used DISE to identify the obstruction pattern according to VOTE classification. ⋯ None of the UACT measurements significantly differed between subjects with and without tongue-base-related or epiglottal obstruction. These results indicate that in OSA patients, obstruction related to the lateral oropharyngeal walls can be identified using these UACT measurements. Thus, UACT, which is performed during wakefulness, can partially replace DISE, which is both time consuming and costly.
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Eur Arch Otorhinolaryngol · Oct 2014
The effect of endoscopic sheaths on visualization in distal chip and fiberoptic laryngoscopy.
Endoscopic sheaths covering the laryngoscope are advised to prevent cross contamination, but might hamper visualization as the most important tool in the diagnostic approach of laryngeal disease. We evaluated whether endoscopic sheaths change image quality and diagnostic accuracy of flexible distal chip laryngoscopy (DCL) and flexible fiberoptic laryngoscopy (FOL). Twelve healthy volunteers underwent a flexible laryngoscopy using a distal chip and a fiberoptic laryngoscope with and without endoscopic sheaths, and in this way 48 images were collected. ⋯ Confidence levels (7.7-8.1) were comparable in DCL and FOL and not influenced by endoscopic sheaths. Image quality in DCL is superior to FOL, but significantly hampered by the use of endoscopic sheaths. In FOL the image quality is already low and not further diminished by endoscopic sheaths.
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Eur Arch Otorhinolaryngol · Oct 2014
Lingua-epiglottis position predicts glossopharyngeal obstruction in patients with obstructive sleep apnea hypopnea syndrome.
The objective of the study was to investigate the relationship between lingua-epiglottis position and glossopharyngeal obstruction in patients with obstructive sleep apnea hypopnea syndrome (OSAHS). One hundred and four patients with OSAHS diagnosed by polysomnography (PSG) were enrolled. Lingua-epiglottis position was visualized using endoscopy and classified into three types. ⋯ The lowest oxygen saturation decreased. Lingua-epiglottis position was significantly related to glossopharyngeal obstruction. Lingua-epiglottis position should be used in clinical practice for the preliminary assessment of glossopharyngeal obstruction.