Predicting the effect of nasal surgery on snoring: a simple test.

The Nasal Spray Test, as herein described, is a simple, reliable, no-cost, self-administered test for assessment of the nasal component in several combined etiologies of snoring and obstructive sleep apnea. A topical decongestant is sprayed into the nose on alternate nights for one week. Spray-nights are compared to non-spray nights for the severity of snoring and apnea. Improvement on the spray-nights implies that nasal obstruction is a causative factor in snoring and that relief of that obstruction will also improve the snoring problem. The test helps the physician decide when nasal surgery should or should not be performed for the complaint of snoring.