2005 Volume 17 Issue 3 Pages 323-331
We investigated the influence of the grade of tonsillar hypertrophy and the presence of nasal disease on the treatment by CPAP (Continuous Positive Airway Pressure) in patients with sleep apnea syndrome. In the groups of tonsillar hypertrophy at grade 0 (no hypertrophy) or grade 1, CPAP was effective. In the group of grade 2, AHI (Apnea-Hypopnea Index) improved to over 80%, but AHI still remained to over 10. In the group of grade 3, however, the effect of CPAP was poor. In patients with nasal disease, the effect of CPAP proved to be worse in every group. In the groups of grade 0 and 1, the influence on the effect of CPAP was more severely damaged by the presence of nasal disease, as compared to the grade of tonsillar hypertrophy. In the groups of grades 2 and 3, on the contrary, the influence of the tonsillar hypertrophy was more severe than the nasal disease.
