Structure of the Human Uvula

Olofsson, Katarina; Mattsson, Cecilia; Hammarström, Marie‐Louise; Hellström, Sten

doi:10.1080/00016489950180685

“…Pendlebury et al 19 found that the mean apnea-hypopnea index increased from 22 to 33 events per hour over a mean period of 17 months. Neurogenic damage to upperairway muscles 20 and to the soft palatal mucosa, 21 and/or the formation of uvular edema, 22 possibly caused by the vibration and stretching of the tissues from snoring and apneas, may explain the progressive nature of the disease. The severity of the disease was unchanged in the present sample of patients during long-term treatment with mandibular advancement devices.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Mandibular Advancement Device in Patients With Obstructive Sleep Apnea

Marklund

¹

,

Sahlin

²

,

Stenlund

³

et al. 2001

Chest

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“…Thickening of the tissue results. 29,30 Catalfumo and coworkers 31 performed endoscopy in 104 awake patients after unsuccessful UPPP in supine position and had the patients pant deeply. Twelve patients (11.5%) showed a dorsal displacement of the epiglottis of more than 45 degrees, obstructing the glottis completely.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Videoendoscopic Assessment of Uncommon Sites of Upper Airway Obstruction during Sleep

Maurer¹,

Stuck²,

Hein³

et al. 2000

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Patients with sleep-disordered breathing (SDB) suffer from repetitive upper airway occlusion. Various techniques have been described to assess the site of upper airway collapse. In most cases the soft palate or the base of tongue, or both, are the major levels of obstruction; rarely, the larynx, including the epiglottis, are found to be involved. We present five cases in which sleep videoendoscopy finally revealed the true mechanism of the inspiratory airway behavior. Two patients were sent to our service because of inefficacy of nasal ventilation therapy. One had a floppy epiglottis that was being sucked into the glottis. The other had a normal larynx during videoendoscopy. Instead, common pharyngeal collapse could be detected. Increasing the pressure normalized sleep, breathing, and videoendoscopy. The third patient showed apneas due to the adduction of the lateral parts of his omega-shaped epiglottis. In another case, inspiratory fluttering of the vocal cords caused snoring and arousals. The last case came in for bilateral vocal cord palsy with heavy nocturnal desaturations suggesting airway closure. Yet, the pharynx and larynx remained open throughout the night. Sleep videoendoscopy is a convenient method to define the level and mechanism of occlusion in obstructive SDB, particularly if the larynx is involved. It is useful to rule out airway compromise in case of recurrent nocturnal hypoxemias. Thus the results of sleep videoendoscopy have a strong therapeutical impact.

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“…Thickening of the tissue results. 29,30 Catalfumo and coworkers 31 performed endoscopy in 104 awake patients after unsuccessful UPPP in supine position and had the patients pant deeply. Twelve patients (11.5%) showed a dorsal displacement of the epiglottis of more than 45 degrees, obstructing the glottis completely.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Videoendoscopic Assessment of Uncommon Sites of Upper Airway Obstruction during Sleep

Maurer¹,

Stuck²,

Hein³

et al. 2000

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Patients with sleep-disordered breathing (SDB) suffer from repetitive upper airway occlusion. Various techniques have been described to assess the site of upper airway collapse. In most cases the soft palate or the base of tongue, or both, are the major levels of obstruction; rarely, the larynx, including the epiglottis, are found to be involved. We present five cases in which sleep videoendoscopy finally revealed the true mechanism of the inspiratory airway behavior. Two patients were sent to our service because of inefficacy of nasal ventilation therapy. One had a floppy epiglottis that was being sucked into the glottis. The other had a normal larynx during videoendoscopy. Instead, common pharyngeal collapse could be detected. Increasing the pressure normalized sleep, breathing, and videoendoscopy. The third patient showed apneas due to the adduction of the lateral parts of his omega-shaped epiglottis. In another case, inspiratory fluttering of the vocal cords caused snoring and arousals. The last case came in for bilateral vocal cord palsy with heavy nocturnal desaturations suggesting airway closure. Yet, the pharynx and larynx remained open throughout the night. Sleep videoendoscopy is a convenient method to define the level and mechanism of occlusion in obstructive SDB, particularly if the larynx is involved. It is useful to rule out airway compromise in case of recurrent nocturnal hypoxemias. Thus the results of sleep videoendoscopy have a strong therapeutical impact.

show abstract

Structure of the Human Uvula

Cited by 12 publications

References 21 publications

Mandibular Advancement Device in Patients With Obstructive Sleep Apnea

Mandibular Advancement Device in Patients With Obstructive Sleep Apnea

Videoendoscopic Assessment of Uncommon Sites of Upper Airway Obstruction during Sleep

Videoendoscopic Assessment of Uncommon Sites of Upper Airway Obstruction during Sleep

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