Integrated approach for the assessment of the anatomical traits for the prospective selection of obstructive sleep apnea patients for upper airway stimulation or its combination therapy with mandibular advancement device.

Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) is a chronic disease that is caused by partial or complete upper airway collapse during sleep. OSA is a highly prevalent disorder linked to a range of considerable health risks. Application of continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) is regarded as the gold standard treatment for more severe OSA. The clinical effectiveness of CPAP is often hampered by the inadequate adherence to CPAP mainly due to limited tolerance of the treatment. The techniques that are currently used for the selection of OSA patients for alternative, non-CPAP treatment options such as oral appliance therapy, with mandibular advancement device (MAD), or upper airway stimulation (UAS) synchronized with ventilation, are rather invasive.An integrated, innovative approach that might allow for non-invasive assessment of the anatomical traits of the individual upper airway will be evaluated. The hypothesis of this research project is that these anatomical traits, site of upper airway collapse and degree of pharyngeal collapsibility, can be derived from the respiratory flow signal that is measured during each routine sleep study anyway. The predictive value of this innovative and non-invasive method will be analyzed, also in comparison to the techniques that are currently employed for this purpose of patients' selection. Whether the innovative and non-invasive approach has a better predictive value towards a successful treatment outcome with UAS with or without MAD will be investigated. The main goal is to improve the results with these treatment options for OSA based on the non-invasive assessment of the anatomical traits of the upper airway in the individual OSA patient.

Keywords:INNOVATIONS

Disciplines:Otorhinolaryngology, Respiratory medicine, Speech, language and hearing sciences