Snoring patterns during home polysomnography. A proposal for a new classification.

PURPOSE Snoring is a very common disorder, but, at present, there is no universally accepted classification for the condition. The main aim of this paper is to introduce a home sleep monitoring-based classification of common snoring patterns in simple snorers and in patients with obstructive sleep apnea-hypopnea syndrome (OSAHS). MATERIALS AND METHODS In total, 561 consecutive patients with a history of snoring, either simple or associated with apnea, were enrolled in this home sleep monitoring study. Analysis of the polysomnographic traces and the snoring sensor allowed the main patterns of snoring and their characteristics to be determined. RESULTS Four patterns of snoring were identified. In a spectrum of increasing severity (mild, moderate or severe), snoring can be episodic, positional, continuous, or alternating, whereas in obstructive sleep apnea syndrome, the snoring events only occur between successive respiratory obstructive events. In mild snoring, the episodic pattern is the most frequent, whereas in moderate and severe snoring, the continuous snoring pattern occurs in most cases. CONCLUSIONS The proposed classification of snoring patterns would be beneficial for providing a realistic disturbance index, for the selection and evaluation of the outcomes of surgical techniques.