The Relationship between Modified Mallampati Grade, Tonsillar Grade and Apnea-Hypopnea Index

Ahn, Byung Hoon; Choi, Jong Won; Park, Youn Ho; Song, In Hyuk; Nam, Young Jin; Song, Dal Won

Abstract

OBJECTIVES
Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) syndrome is diagnosed through history, physical examination, imaging studies and polysomnography. Clinical examination of this condition may point to hypertrophic tonsils and crowded oropharynx. The objective of this study is to investigate the usefulness of modified Mallampati grade (MMG) and tonsil grade (TG) in predicting the severity of obstructive sleep apnea. METHODS: MMG and TG were divided into 4 and 5 groups, respectively, according to their severity. Medical records were collected from 94 patients who had received polysomnography and otorhinolaryngologic examination for snoring and sleep apnea at Keimyung University Dongsan Medical Center from March 2002 through April 2004. Patients were divided into two groups according to the apnea-hypopnea index (AHI) : control (n=24), and patients with sleep apnea (n=70). RESULTS: Patients with higher MMG and TG had higher AHI, and MMG and TG proved to have a statistically significant correlation with AHI (p< 0.05) CONCLUSION: MMG and TG were reliable predictors of OSA and helpful parameters in deciding treatment method.