Patient Information
Diagnosing and treating snoring and sleep apnea is a process that requires many steps in order to find the most effective individualized care for patients. Ear, nose, and throat (ENT) doctors can play roles in both the diagnostic and treatment processes, but typically are the doctors performing surgery if needed.
Though a patient may see an ENT specialist first, it usually is recommended that patients be evaluated at a sleep lab or center before surgery is considered. UPMC’s Sleep Medicine Center is an example of one of these types of labs that performs sleep studies, and is the only multidisciplinary sleep medicine facility accredited by the Academy of Sleep Medicine in western Pennsylvania. Learn more about sleep studies, tips on improving sleep, and UPMC’s Sleep Medicine Center here.
Conditions/Disorders Treated
Sleep Apnea
Sleep apnea is a condition in which breathing is repeatedly interrupted during sleep. The time period for which the breathing stops is usually 10 to 30 seconds. When these episodes occur repeatedly, sleep apnea can seriously disrupt the quality of sleep.
Snoring
Snoring occurs when air cannot move freely through the air passages at the back of the mouth and nose. This causes vibration of the roof of the mouth and uvula, which creates the snoring sound. The smaller the airway and the more obstruction, the louder the snoring becomes.
Your First Visit
It is important for a patient to be prepared for his or her first visit with an ear, nose, and throat specialist about a sleep disorder. Patients will be asked to give a family medical history, detailed sleep history, and health insurance information. During the first visit, the doctor will perform a physical examination, throat examination, and may perform a flexible endoscopy. A flexible endoscopy is a painless procedure that lasts between two and three minutes, during which the doctor examines inside the nasal cavity, voice box, tongue, and adenoids by inserting a tiny camera in a tube up the patient’s nose. This will allow for the doctor to have an up-close perspective and provide a more thorough diagnosis.
Surgical Procedures
Sleep studies are used in the diagnosis process for patients suffering from snoring or sleep apnea. Once the results of a patient’s sleep study are reviewed and therapeutic treatment is considered and attempted, the ENT doctor will determine if surgery and what type of surgery would be beneficial to the patient.