Snoring: A simple test reveals whether an operation is worthwhile

Larissa Melville completed her traineeship in the editorial team of . After studying biology at Ludwig Maximilians University and the Technical University of Munich, she first got to know digital media online at Focus and then decided to learn medical journalism from scratch.

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MunichSnoring not only drives away those next to you in bed, it is also dangerous when there are nocturnal pauses in breathing. A nasal and palate surgery can help with some snorers. Who benefits and who doesn't can now be determined with a simple test.

The new so-called PR test - named after its inventors Kenny Pang and Brian Rotenberg - is surprisingly simple: First, with the mouth slightly open, the patient tries to vibrate the palate by gently breathing through the mouth - literally making it flutter - and something similar to snoring Generate noise. Then the person concerned should produce the palate flutter by breathing through the nose with the mouth closed. The test is positive if the patient can make a snoring noise when the mouth is open, but not when breathing only through the nose. If a noise is heard during both exercises, the test is negative.

With the help of colleagues, Pang and Rotenberg investigated whether a positive test result is actually a sure indicator of a successful, snoring-reducing operation.

Heavy snorers

At the start of the study, all 153 snoring subjects took the P-R test and the researchers rated their snoring intensity on a scale from one to ten. The average score was nine, which equates to very heavy snoring. The researchers also diagnosed around 90 percent of the patients with obstructive sleep apnea, i.e. breathing pauses while sleeping. The majority of the participants were male, an average of 44 years old, and a BMI (Body Mass Index) of 26.

Then 137 subjects underwent a combined nose and palate operation. 16 patients served as a control group and were only operated on the nose. After the procedure, the researchers reevaluated the snoring intensity and compared it with the previous values.

PR-positive patients benefit most from surgery

After the operation, the snoring intensity had improved in all patients. However, the patients who had a positive PR test benefited most: their snoring intensity fell by an average of eight points on the scale. Those with a negative test result, on the other hand, could only look forward to an improvement of 5.8 points. It was also shown that the exclusive operation of the nose was less successful than the combined operation: the intensity of snoring only decreased by 2.5 points on the scale.

Other factors such as gender, age or BMI, which can also influence snoring behavior and the success of the operation, were calculated by the researchers in their analysis.

Test before each operation

"Our results show that the P-R test reliably predicts whether an operation is worthwhile and annoying snoring is significantly reduced after a combined nose and palate operation," the researchers say. “In the future, the P-R test should precede every such operation,” Pang emphasized to

Snoring - not uncommon

Snoring is a common phenomenon. About 10 to 30 percent of all adults are affected - but especially men over 50. In this age group, the proportion of snorers is even 60 to 80 percent. The cause of the annoying noises is slack throat muscles: the soft palate and uvula flutter with every breath.

If the breathing rhythm and the quality of sleep are not impaired, it is referred to as primary snoring, which is generally harmless. However, if there are pauses in breathing of more than ten seconds, the so-called sleep apnea, snoring is not to be trifled with. In addition to tiredness, concentration problems and increased irritability during the day, serious illnesses such as a heart attack can also be the result.

Source:

Pang et al .: Pang-Rotenberg sign-snoring surgery prognosticator: A prospective clinical trial of 153 patients. Laryngoscope. DOI: 10.1002 / lary.25392

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