Is acoustic analysis of snoring an alternative to sleep nasendoscopy?

Abstract

Previous studies have suggested that acoustic analysis may be useful in distinguishing different types of snoring prior to possible corrective surgery. This study aimed to establish whether it could replace sleep nasendoscopy in a clinical setting. Thirty-five patients undergoing sleep nasendoscopy had their snoring recorded and analysed using commercially available equipment. It was found that centre frequency can be used to distinguish pure palatal from tongue base snoring, with a clear cut-off value of 90 Hz between the two. Multisegmental snoring cannot be identified on the basis of centre frequency alone. It may be distinguished from tongue base, but not palatal snoring by the nature of the frequency distribution plot (sensitivity 77%, specificity 81%). Blinded assessment of waveforms of individual snores gave poor accuracy (53%) and poor interobserver agreement (kappa = 0.10). Acoustic analysis may help screen for pure tongue base snoring. However, we feel that it is unlikely to replace sleep nasendoscopy.