title: Parapharyngeal causes of sleep apnea syndrome: two case reports and review of the literature.
abstract: Most patients with obstructive sleep apnea experience increased pharyngeal collapsibility which predisposes them to upper airway occlusion during sleep. Some patients with or without a higher-than-normal collapsibility may present other causes of sleep apnea syndrome. This article will focus on the parapharyngeal tumors leading to obstructive sleep apnea (OSAS). Two clinical cases will illustrate our review of the literature. The results of surgery will also be discussed.
authors.affiliation: Department of ENT Head and Neck Surgery, Catholic University of Louvain, Saint-Luc Academic Hospital, Brussels, Belgium.
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Desuter
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Castelein
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: de Toeuf
authors.forename: Ph
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Rombaux
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Hamoir
mesh_terms: D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009455:Neurofibroma / Q000150:complications*; D010235:Paraganglioma / Q000150:complications*; D010610:Pharyngeal Neoplasms / Q000150:complications*; D012891:Sleep Apnea Syndromes / Q000209:etiology*