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Turbinate hypertrophy in habitual snorers and patients with obstructive sleep apnea: Findings of acoustic rhinometry
Author(s) -
Lenders Heinrich,
Schaefer Juergen,
Pirsig Wolfgang
Publication year - 1991
Publication title -
the laryngoscope
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.181
H-Index - 148
eISSN - 1531-4995
pISSN - 0023-852X
DOI - 10.1288/00005537-199106000-00007
Subject(s) - acoustic rhinometry , rhinomanometry , medicine , nasal cavity , obstructive sleep apnea , nose , sleep apnea , turbinates , anatomy , anesthesia
Forty‐five habitual snorers (mean respiratory disturbance index = 6) and 22 patients with obstructive sleep apnea syndrome (mean respiratory disturbance index = 36) were examined by polysom‐nography, radiocephalometry, rhinomanometry, na‐sopharyngeal videoendoscopy, and acoustic rhinometry. In 97% of these patients, hypertrophy of the inferior nasal turbinates was found by acoustic rhinometry, while increased nasal resistance of various degrees was measured in 93% of all patients by active anterior rhinomanometry. Acoustic rhinometry demonstrated that the most resistive segment was located in the anterior parts of the nasal cavity and was built up by two compartments: the region of the isthmus nasi and the region of the head of the inferior turbinate. In our snoring patients, the cross‐sectional areas at the head of the inferior turbinate were always smaller than the cross‐sectional areas in the isthmus nasi, which in normal controls presented the minimal cross‐sectional values of the whole nasal cavity. While rhinomanometry can only measure the amount of nasal resistance, acoustic rhinometry can clearly determine the exact size and location of the different stenoses in the nasal cavity that contribute to the increased nasal resistance.