Somnofluoroscopy: cineradiographic observation of obstructive sleep apnea.
Systematic cineradiographic observation of the upper airway with simultaneous polysomnography, termed somnofluoroscopy, was performed for a relatively large sample of obstructive sleep apnea patients. These observations suggest that (a) the site of upper airway occlusion may be oropharyngeal, hypopharyngeal, or both; (b) upper airway dynamics appear to be consistent within a given patient and variable among patients; and (c) a passive mechanism results in occlusion rather than active muscular contraction. Somnofluoroscopy is a relatively simple procedure that may be helpful in the selection of treatment for individual sleep apnea patients.
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D002933:Cineradiography / Q000379:methods*; D005260:Female; D005471:Fluoroscopy / Q000379:methods*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009055:Mouth / Q000503:physiopathology; D010614:Pharynx / Q000503:physiopathology; D012891:Sleep Apnea Syndromes / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000503:physiopathology