A COMPARISON OF SLEEP NASENDOSCOPY AND THE MULLER MANEUVER

Knowledge of the level of pharyngeal obstruction during sleep is an important factor in deciding whether or not a patient suffering from obstructive sleep apnoea syndrome (OSAS) will benefit from uvulopalatopharyngoplasty. The Muller manoeuvre has been advocated as a method of obtaining this information. We compared the findings from the technique of sleep nasendoscopy, which actually allows visualization of the level of obstruction in the sleeping patient, with the results of the Muller manoeuvre performed in the same patients while awake. We found the Muller manoeuvre to be less accurate than previously believed.