[Therapy of obstructive sleep apnea syndrome]

Symptomatology and sequelae, as well as diagnosis and therapy of the obstructive sleep apnea syndrome are discussed. The Esmarch prosthesis, which we developed for the prosthetic treatment of obstructive sleep apnea syndrome, was tested in 7 patients. Patients were polysomnographically recorded during two sequential nights with and without Esmarch prosthesis. All apnea parameters improved significantly (apnea time by 78%, apnea index by 67% of baseline values). The mean duration of the remaining apnea phases diminished by 31%. Improvement of O2 saturation of haemoglobin and O2 partial pressure in the tissue paralleled that of the apnea parameters. The severely disturbed sleep profile of the patients showed a clear tendency towards normalization. The Esmarch prosthesis is an efficient method for the treatment of the obstructive sleep apnea syndrome.