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Snoring
Your experts in snoring in Frankfurt
Snoring, also known in ENT medicine by the medical term ‘ronchopathy’, is not necessarily dangerous. However, it can be a precursor to obstructive sleep apnoea. An accurate diagnosis is therefore important.
In the case of pathological snorers, known as sleep apnoe sufferers, loud snoring indicates a serious health problem: it is a clearly audible sign of breathing pauses during sleep (‘sleep apnoea syndrome’)! These pauses are caused by anatomically induced narrowing that suddenly stops the flow of air, or by a malfunction in the brain. The consequences of disturbed sleep are not limited to daytime tiredness and reduced performance. In the long term, this can lead to serious conditions such as high blood pressure, cardiac arrhythmia and diabetes.
In our snoring assessment, we investigate the individual cause of the snoring, the risk to the patient’s cardiovascular system, and the options for treatment. In most cases, the health risk can be eliminated through surgery or by using a breathing mask at night.
As recognised experts, we are here to support you with our medical expertise if, as someone with sleep apnoea, you do not wish to take any risks. Based on a thorough examination using effective methods, we offer you a suitable treatment for snoring. ENT and sleep medicine go hand in hand at our clinic.
Identifying the causes of snoring essentially involves two aspects: Firstly, determining the exact location of any potential anatomical narrowing that obstructs the air supply during sleep. Secondly, establishing whether breathing pauses occur during sleep, posing a risk to the cardiovascular system.
To investigate this, we carry out the following examinations:
- A detailed medical history, during which questions about when and how snoring occurs are answered.
- An examination to determine whether there are any structural changes narrowing the airway.
- This is followed by specific examinations and tests: flexible endoscopy, rhinomanometry, a lung function test, an X-ray of the sinuses, and, depending on the individual case, a detailed examination of the thyroid gland.
- With the help of the outpatient sleep laboratory, we now collect data whilst the patient is asleep: the patient is given a monitoring device to take home. It measures heart rate and blood oxygen saturation; a nasal mask measures respiratory rate; and finger sensors and electrodes measure other important data, such as the position in which snoring occurs.
During this outpatient examination, which we carry out at the Kopfklinik Frankfurt, we can determine precisely whether and where an anatomically caused narrowing exists in the snoring patient during sleep, which obstructs the air supply and produces the snoring sound.
The snoring patient is put into a sleep-like state using the fast-acting anaesthetic propofol. Using a flexible endoscope fitted with a chip video camera, we can now pinpoint exactly where the snoring originates: in the nose, palate or mouth area, in the throat or above the larynx.
The examination is completely painless and takes about 15 minutes; however, the patient remains under observation for a further hour afterwards whilst asleep.
The results of this examination allow us to determine precisely whether surgery can help resolve the snoring problem. In specific cases, this examination is carried out in conjunction with a dentist, who assesses whether a dental appliance can keep the airway open during sleep.
If the data from the outpatient sleep laboratory indicates that the snoring patient experiences prolonged breathing pauses with significant oxygen deprivation during sleep, we carry out a detailed examination in the sleep laboratory at the Kopfklinik Frankfurt.
The data we can collect here is significantly more comprehensive and accurate (e.g. recording of brain waves, observation of movements during sleep).
If the data indicates sleep apnoea, we test a ventilator mask on a second night to check whether this can resolve the deficiency. If the use of the ventilator mask yields a positive result, a suitable device is prescribed and fitted.