Published online Feb 16, 2024. doi: 10.12998/wjcc.v12.i5.942
Peer-review started: November 2, 2023
First decision: December 5, 2023
Revised: December 14, 2023
Accepted: January 23, 2024
Article in press: January 23, 2024
Published online: February 16, 2024
Processing time: 89 Days and 14.9 Hours
The mid-frequency anti-snoring device is a new technology based on sublingual nerve stimulation. Its principle is to improve the degree of oropharyngeal airway stenosis in obstructive sleep apnea-hypopnea syndrome (OSAHS) patients under mid-frequency wave stimulation.
There is a lack of clinical application and imaging evidence for the use of mid-frequency anti-snoring devices in the treatment of moderate OSAHS.
To provide imaging-based confirmation of the working mechanism of mid-frequency anti-snoring devices in treating OSAHS. This study also aimed to observe the clinical efficacy of medium-frequency anti-snoring devices in treating moderate obstructive OSAHS.
Fifty patients diagnosed with moderate OSAHS underwent a 4-wk treatment regimen involving the mid-frequency anti-snoring device during nighttime sleep. Following the treatment, we monitored and assessed the sleep apnea quality of life index and Epworth Sleepiness Scale scores. Additionally, we performed computed tomography scans of the oropharynx in the awake state, during snoring, and while using the mid-frequency anti-snoring device. Cross-sectional area measurements in different states were taken at the narrowest airway point in the soft palate posterior and retrolingual areas.
Compared to pretreatment measurements, patients exhibited a significant reduction in the apnea-hypopnea index, the percentage of time with oxygen saturation below 90%, snoring frequency, and the duration of the most prolonged apnea event. The lowest oxygen saturation (%) showed a notable increase, and both sleep apnea quality of life index and Epworth Sleepiness Scale scores improved. Oropharyngeal computed tomography scans revealed that in OSAHS patients the cross-sectional areas of the oropharyngeal airway in the soft palate posterior area and retrolingual area decreased during snoring compared to the awake state. Conversely, during mid-frequency anti-snoring device treatment, these areas increased compared to snoring.
This study confirmed that the mid-frequency anti-snoring device can expand the oropharyngeal airway in patients with moderate OSAHS, thereby improving their clinical symptoms and sleep quality.
The sample size of this study was limited, and there may be statistical bias. Further efforts are needed to increase the number of patients, expand the sample size, and conduct in-depth research on some scientific issues, such as the therapeutic effect of mid-frequency anti-snoring devices on patients with only snoring, the patient dependency and efficacy of long-term use, the impact on the anatomical structure of the upper airway of the oropharynx, and the impact of long-term use on abnormal lipid metabolism in patients.