Hostname: page-component-78c5997874-xbtfd Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-11-16T07:25:32.818Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false

A new method for evaluating and reporting the severity of snoring

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  29 June 2007

Paul V. H. Lim*
Affiliation:
Department of Ear, Nose and Throat Surgery, Walsgrave Hospital, Coventry, UK.
Alan R. Curry
Affiliation:
Department of Ear, Nose and Throat Surgery, Walsgrave Hospital, Coventry, UK.
*
Address for correspondence: Mr Paul V. H. Lim, The Department of Otorhinolaryngology, University of Malaya, University Hospital, Lembah Pantai, 50603 Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. Fax: 006-03-755 6554/755 6963

Abstract

We propose a new questionnaire-based method for evaluating and reporting the severity of snoring, the snoring scale score (SSS), which provides an assessment of the loudness, frequency and periodicity of snoring sound. Ninety-nine patients with snoring problems were assessed and the results of 19 patients who underwent surgery to reduce snoring were reported using the SSS and the linear analogue score (LAS) at six weeks and six months after surgery. All patients reported reduction of snoring on both the SSS and LAS after surgery although minor discrepancies of reporting were found in six patients when comparisons were made between reporting of outcome using the SSS and LAS. Our study suggested that the SSS offers a uniform, comprehensive and simple to understand method for the evaluation, grading and reporting of snoring which is not currently available.

Type
Main Articles
Copyright
Copyright © JLO (1984) Limited 1999

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

Croft, C. B., Pringle, M. (1991) Sleep nasoendoscopy: a technique of assessment in snoring and obstructive sleep apnoea. Clinical Otolaryngology 16: 504509.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Croft, C. B., Pringle, M. B. (1996) Snorning and sleep apnoea. In Scott-Browns's Otolaryngology, 6th Edition. vol 4 (Kerr, A. G., ed.) Butterworth-Heineman London, pp 4/19/7.Google Scholar
Ellis, P. D., Williams, J. E., Shneerson, J. M. (1993) Surgical relief of snoring due to palatal flutter: a preliminary report. Annals of the Royal College of Surgeons of England 75: 286290.Google Scholar
Johns, M. W. (1991) A new method for measuring daytime sleepiness: the Epworth Sleepiness Scale. Sleep 14: 540545.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Kamami, Y. V. (1990) Laser CO2 for snoring. Preliminary results. Acta Otorhinolaryngologica Belgica 44: 451456.Google Scholar
Kamami, Y. V. (1994) Outpatient treatment of snoring with CO2 laser: Laser assisted UPPP. Journal of Otolaryngology 21: 350354.Google Scholar
Lavie, P. (1983) Incidence of sleep apnoea in a presumably healthy working population. Sleep 6: 312318.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Lugaresi, E., Cirignota, F., Coccanga, G., Pianna, C. (1980) Some epidemiological data snoring and cardiocirculatory disturbances. Sleep 3: 221224.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Morar, P., Nandapalan, V., Lesser, T. H. J., Swift, A. C. (1995) Mucosalstrip uvulectomy by the CO2 laser as a method of treating simple snoring. Clinical Otolaryngology 20: 308311.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
O'Reilly, B. F., Simpson, D. C. (1998) A comparison of conservative, radical and laser palatal surgery for snoring. Journal of the Royal College of Surgeons of Edinburgh 43: 194195.Google ScholarPubMed
Prichard, A. J. N., Smithson, A. J., White, J. E. S., Close, P. R., Drinnan, M. J., Griffiths, C. J., Marshall, H. F., Gibson, G. J. (1995) Objective measurement of the results of uvulopalatoplasty. Clinical Otolaryngology 20: 495498.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Richardson, H. C., Prichard, A. J. N. (1997) Comparing the outcome of two surgical treatments for snoring using a patient-orientated measure of benefit. Clinical Otolaryngology 22: 459462.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Sharp, J. F., Jalaludin, M., Murray, J. A. M., Maran, A. G. D. (1990) The uvulopalatopharyngoplasty operation: the Edinburgh experience. Journal of the Royal Society of Medicine 83: 569570.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Shehab, Z. P., Robin, P. E. (1997) Comparison of the effectiveness of uvulopalatopharyngoplasty and laser palatoplasty for snoring. Clinical Otolaryngology 22: 158161.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Sher, A. E., Thorpy, M. J., Shprintzen, R. J., Spielman, A. J., Burack, B., McGregor, P. A. (1985) Predictive value of Muller manoeuvre in selection of patients for uvulopalatopharyngoplasty. Laryngoscope 95: 14831487.Google Scholar
Smithson, A. J. S., White, J. E. S., Griffiths, C. J., Prichard, A. J. N., Close, P. R., Drinnan, M. J., Marshall, H. F., Gibson, G. J. (1995) Comparison of methods for assessing snoring. Clinical Otolaryngology 20: 443447.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Tzifa, K. T., Shebab, Z. P., Robin, P. E. (1998) The relation between tonsillectomy and snoring. Clinical Otolaryngology 23: 148151.Google Scholar
Walker, R. P., Gatti, W. M., Poirier, N., Davis, J. S. (1996) Objective assessment of snoring before and after laserassisted uvulopalatoplasty. Laryngoscope 106: 13721377.Google Scholar
Wareing, M., Mitchell, D. (1996) Laser-assisted uvulopalatoplasty: an assessment of a technique. Journal of Laryngology and Otology 110: 232236.Google Scholar