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Changes in Site of Obstruction in Obstructive Sleep Apnea Patients According to Sleep Position

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Positional Therapy in Obstructive Sleep Apnea

Abstract

The mechanism responsible for worsening of OSA in the supine position is most likely related to the effect of gravity resulting in a smaller pharyngeal airway in the supine posture. However, the effect of posture on the upper airway during sleep in OSA patients is largely unknown. In this chapter, we introduce a study in which we evaluated the changes in site of obstruction in OSA patients according to sleep position by the use of dynamic airway evaluation during drug-induced sleep. When sleep posture is changed from supine to lateral, obstruction due to structures such as the tongue base and larynx improves dramatically. Obstruction in lateral position is mostly due to obstruction at the oropharyngeal lateral walls. Therefore, position dependency is mostly determined by lateral wall collapsibility. Evaluating the changes of the upper airway according to sleep position can further characterize the upper airway collapsibility and can be used for tailored treatment planning.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Otorhinolaryngology, Seoul National University College of Medicine, Seoul National University Hospital, Seongnam, South Korea

    Tae-Bin Won M.D., Ph.D.

  2. Department of Otorhinolaryngology, Seoul National University Bundang Hospital, 300 Gumi-dong, Bundang-gu, Seongnam-si, Gyeonggi-do, 463-707, South Korea

    Chul Hee Lee M.D., Ph.D. & Chae-Seo Rhee M.D., Ph.D.

Authors
  1. Tae-Bin Won M.D., Ph.D.
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  2. Chul Hee Lee M.D., Ph.D.
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  3. Chae-Seo Rhee M.D., Ph.D.
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Chae-Seo Rhee M.D., Ph.D. .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Otolaryngology, Sint Lucas Andreas Ziekenhuis, Amsterdam, The Netherlands

    Nico de Vries

  2. Department of Otorhinolaryngology, Sint Lucas Andreas Ziekenhuis, Amsterdam, The Netherlands

    Madeline Ravesloot

  3. Department of Otolaryngology, Sint Lucas Andreas Ziekenhuis, Amsterdam, The Netherlands

    J. Peter van Maanen

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© 2015 Springer International Publishing Switzerland

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Won, TB., Lee, C.H., Rhee, CS. (2015). Changes in Site of Obstruction in Obstructive Sleep Apnea Patients According to Sleep Position. In: de Vries, N., Ravesloot, M., van Maanen, J. (eds) Positional Therapy in Obstructive Sleep Apnea. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-09626-1_10

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-09626-1_10

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  • Publisher Name: Springer, Cham

  • Print ISBN: 978-3-319-09625-4

  • Online ISBN: 978-3-319-09626-1

  • eBook Packages: MedicineMedicine (R0)

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