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Vincent Cumberworth BSc FRCS Consultant Ear,
Nose and Throat Surgeon
Clementine Churchill Hospital Sudbury Hill Harrow Middlesex HA1 3RX
Private Secretary: Tel: 020 8872 3866 Fax: 0208872
3861
Information is supplied only upon the condition that the viewer will
make their own determination as to the suitability of the
information for its purposes prior to use. There will be no
responsibility for information that is misused or misinterpreted and
the information should not be used as a substitute for consultation
with a health care professional. It is not possible to answer
questions regarding individual cases or to enter into individual
correspondence.
Snoring & Sleep Apnoea
It is often necessary to ascertain whether someone simply snores
or may also have sleep apnoea. In snoring there is no significant
reduction in the oxygen saturation of the body but in sleep apnoea
this parameter is reduced during obstructive episodes. After ear,
nose and throat review and assessment it may be necessary to perform
a sleep study to ascertain if there is sleep apnoea. In the case of
sleep apnoea, treatment may be required subsequently by a
respiratory physician and this can entail use of a face mask for
CPAP, (continuous positive airways pressure).
ENT examination is important to assess the upper airways and
particularly the nasal passages; treatment or optimisation of these
can have a significant impact on these conditions.
Two particular aggravating factors for snoring are being overweight
and drinking alcohol, particularly at night. Nasal obstruction can
also be a factor and smoking may exacerbate the problem.
Children may have problems with obstructive sleep apnoea if they
have large tonsils and adenoids and this can necessitate surgery, in
the form of adeno-tonsillectomy.
A further procedure which can be valuable in assessment of patients
is a sleep nasendoscopy and this would be performed by an ENT
Surgeon under a specialised brief general anaesthetic. This can
permit a more accurate assessment of the areas of collapse
associated with snoring. An alternative treatment which can be
beneficial, for which the sleep nasendoscopy can also give
predictive information, is the use of a mandibular advancement
splint.
© Vincent Cumberworth 2005
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