Antila J, Sipilä J, Tshushima Y, Polo O, Laurikainen E, Suonpää J
ENT Department, University Central Hospital of Turku, Finland.
Acta Otolaryngol Suppl. 1997;529:202-5. doi: 10.3109/00016489709124122.
Nasal breathing is considered as an important factor in sleep apnea and snoring, and nasal obstruction can lead to an increased respiratory resistance and to inflammatory reactions in the nasal mucosa. Uvulopalatopharyngoplasty is an effective treatment for sleep apnea and snoring. Different operation techniques with minor variations have been introduced during the last few years. Uvulopalatopharyngoplasty with laser technique (LUPPP) has made it possible to perform the operation in local anesthesia. Acoustic rhinometry is a new method for the evaluation of the nasal cavities and the nasopharynx. We measured the volume of nasal cavities and nasopharynx of 29 patients using acoustic rhinometry before and 6 months after the LUPPP operation. There was a tendency to a better nasal patency in the turbinate area, but no change was found in the nasopharyngeal volume. Acoustic rhinometry is a useful tool for measuring the turbinate area, and this part of the nasal cavities seems to be influenced by the LUPPP operation, maybe due to a better ventilation or reduction of the inflammation of the nose. However, technical and methodological improvements are needed before reliable measurements are achieved from the nasopharynx area.
鼻呼吸被认为是睡眠呼吸暂停和打鼾的一个重要因素，鼻阻塞会导致呼吸阻力增加以及鼻黏膜炎症反应。悬雍垂腭咽成形术是治疗睡眠呼吸暂停和打鼾的有效方法。在过去几年中，已经引入了略有不同的不同手术技术。激光悬雍垂腭咽成形术（LUPPP）使得在局部麻醉下进行手术成为可能。鼻声反射测量法是一种评估鼻腔和鼻咽部的新方法。我们在LUPPP手术前及术后6个月，使用鼻声反射测量法测量了29例患者的鼻腔和鼻咽部容积。鼻甲区域的鼻通畅度有改善的趋势，但鼻咽部容积未发现变化。鼻声反射测量法是测量鼻甲区域的有用工具，鼻腔的这一部分似乎受到LUPPP手术的影响，可能是由于通气改善或鼻部炎症减轻。然而，在从鼻咽部区域获得可靠测量结果之前，需要在技术和方法上进行改进。
