Acoustical analysis of snoring: Can the probability of success be predicted?

Abstract

Purpose Palatal flutter snoring is the most common form of snoring. However, other types of snoring do exist. Does identifying palatal snoring beforehand translate into improved subjective treatment success with palatal stiffening procedures? Methods Fifty-three patients presenting with snoring were evaluated with a commercially available device. The proportion (%) and magnitude of palatal flutter (dB) were quantified. Patients then underwent a palatal stiffening procedure and subjective success/failure was assessed. Results Overall subjective treatment success was 85% (45 of 53). The percent palatal flutter was the most predictive of success (area under ROC = 0.8556, 95% CI = .7428-.9683). Patients exceeding 68% palatal flutter had a 95% (39 of 41) success rate ( P = 0.001, Fisher's exact) and an adjusted odds ratio of treatment success of 25.2 (95% CI = 3.22-196, P = 0.002). Conclusion Palatal stiffening treatments are successful in the majority of patients. However, identifying patients with predominant palatal flutter snoring significantly increases the probability of subjective treatment success. EBM rating: B-2b