[Differential diagnosis of rhonchopathy using the MESAM system]

A programme for the differential diagnosis of rhonchopathy is reported, based upon the MESAM system developed at the University of Marburg. With this biparametric long-term monitor the snoring noise and the heart beat frequency (a beat-by-beat analysis) were recorded in 94 patients with a history of snoring. Other investigations included tape recordings of the snoring noise, nasoendoscopy, pulsed cineradiography of the pharynx and the recording of the character of the snoring. This programme is much cheaper than a sleep laboratory, but it can distinguish between obstructive sleep apnoea syndrome, habitual rhonchopathy and non-snorers, mainly by means of the characteristic patterns of MESAM recordings. A sleep apnoea syndrome was diagnosed in 19 patients and habitual rhonchopathy in 38 patients, whereas 33 patients were regarded as non-snorers. Ten of our 19 patients with sleep apnoea were re-examined by a sleep laboratory and the diagnosis was proved in all of these cases. In the 38 patients with habitual rhonchopathy auditory analysis of the snoring noise classified 23 patients as velar and 10 as pharyngeal snorers; 5 patients showed a mixed type of rhonchopathy. The questionnaire accompanying the MESAM system, nasal endoscopy and cine films support the individual diagnosis by revealing typical complaints and characteristic organic findings and thus contribute to the differential diagnostic screening. However, the three groups do overlap quite markedly with respect to symptoms und organic findings. In summary, the MESAM system provides an economically viable examination programme that can be used routinely by the otorhinolaryngologist for the differential diagnosis of rhonchopathy.