上下顎スプリントが有効であった閉塞型睡眠時無呼吸症候群の1症例

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A 46-year-old male came to our hospital complaining of sudden drowsiness while driving during the daytime. He was obese with a body weight of 84kg and a height of 170cm. He was admitted and underwent polysomunography.<BR>During the analysis, he snored and apnea occurred (apnea index: 46). As apnea was of the obstructive type, he was diagnosed as having the obstructive sleep apnea syndrome (OSAS). To treat this disease, he attempted weight control and a nasal continuous positive airway pressure system, but both were in vain. We then attempted to maintain the mandible in a forward position by means of a splint. Previously, we constructed eights plints for test purposes. Each of them was used to test his sleep pattern with an APNOMONITOR, and the best mandibular position was chosen. Based on these results, the optimal splint was prepared. When he slept wearing this splint, apnea was decreased substantially (apnea index: 5). Although he wore the splint every night, there was no evidence of teeth movement or any TMJ pain.<BR>We concluded that splint therapy can be a very useful, cheap, and simple method for the treatment of the OSAS.