• Archives of Plastic Surgery
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• v.38 no.6
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• pp.871-874
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• 2011

Purpose: In some patients with velopharyngeal insufficiency (VPI), Hypernasality can persist after surgical management. Continuous Positive Airway Pressure (CPAP) is applied to these patients for treating hypernasality. The purpose of this study is to report follow-up results of postoperative CPAP therapy. Methods: After performing palatal lengthening, CPAP therapy was applied to three patients for eight weeks from July of 2008 to November of 2009. Perceptual evaluation, nasometry, and nasopharyngeal endoscopy were performed to evaluate hypernasality, nasalance and size of the gap at velopharyngeal port. Each evaluation was made before surgery, right after CPAP therapy and during follow-up of more than a year after CPAP therapy. Results: All of the patients showed improvement in hypernasality right after CPAP therapy according to the auditory perceptual evaluation, nasometry and nasopharyngeal endoscopy. But the improvement in hypernasality in these patients did not last during follow-up. Conclusion: In this study, our results suggest that CPAP therapy is effective in reducing hypernasality for postoperative VPI patients immediately after the therapy, but hypernasality may be worsen in some patients during follow-up. Therefore we recommend follow-ups after CPAP therapy to see if the efficacy of CPAP therapy lasts.

• Speech Sciences
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• v.14 no.4
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• pp.261-271
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• 2007

The purpose of this study was to determine the effectiveness of CPAP (Continuous Positive Airway Pressure) therapy on the treatment of hypernasality in patients with cleft lips and palates. 7 preschool children with severe hypernasality participated in the study. Acoustic measurements of nasality were done by using the NasalView (version 1.31). Results showed that the nasalance values were reduced linearly in both vowels according to the treatment period. The sharp treatment effect was observed at the beginning stage. The nasality values of the vowel /i/ showed a sharp decrease at the Evaluation Phase 1 and 2 and a small increase at the Phase 4 followed by a drop in the end. Further studies would be desirable for various patients with different disorder types.

• Annals of Clinical Neurophysiology
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• v.16 no.2
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• pp.95-97
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• 2014

• Phonetics and Speech Sciences
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• v.4 no.3
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• pp.171-177
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• 2012

The purpose of this study was to investigate whether CPAP therapy was effective for reducing the degree of hypernasality in individuals with repaired cleft palate and whether the efficacy of CPAP therapy was maintained. Five individuals with cleft palate participated in an 8-week home-based CPAP program. Results from perceptual evaluation of hypernasality and nasalance scores before and after CPAP therapy and at the follow-up speech evaluation were compared. The results of the study showed that the responses of the CPAP therapy were various among individuals. Three individuals exhibited reductions in the degree of perceived hypernasality, while nasalance scores in all individuals decreased after the therapy. The results showed that the effect of CPAP therapy was generally maintained until approximately three months after the completion of CPAP therapy.

• Archives of Craniofacial Surgery
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• v.11 no.2
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• pp.73-76
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• 2010

Purpose: There are several surgical methods for correcting a velopharyngeal insufficiency (VPI) but in some cases, it is not possible to achieve complete recovery of the velopharyngeal function. This paper introduces a new therapy for treating hypernasality without further surgery using continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP). Methods: CPAP therapy was applied to seven VPI patients for eight weeks from April of 2007 to September of 2009. All patients underwent palatoplasty for the cleft palate and six patients underwent palatal lengthening for VPI before CPAP therapy. A speech pathologist performed an auditory perceptual evaluation to evaluate the improvement in hypernasality after 8-week CPAP therapy. Results: Six patients showed an improvement in hypernasality after CPAP therapy according to the auditory perceptual evaluation. One patient with severe hypernasality responded to the early part of therapy but the hypernasality did not improve after therapy. Conclusion: CPAP therapy might be effective in reducing the hypernasality in patients with VPI by providing resistance training to strengthen the velopharyngeal closure muscles. In particular, CPAP therapy could be more effective for patients who show mild to moderate hypernasality after surgery.

• Sleep Medicine and Psychophysiology
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• v.17 no.2
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• pp.69-74
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• 2010

Obstructive sleep apnea syndrome is associated with significant cardiovascular morbidity and increased mortality. However, it was controversial whether obstructive sleep apnea syndrome could cause pulmonary hypertension. The controversy was resolved by several studies that have shown pulmonary hypertension in 20% to 40% of patients with obstructive sleep apnea syndrome without underlying other cardiopulmonary diseases and reductions in pulmonary arterial pressure in patients with obstructive sleep apnea syndrome after treatment with nocturnal continuous positive airway pressure. Recent studies provide strong evidence for endothelial dysfunction in obstructive sleep apnea syndrome and pulmonary hypertension. Endothelin-1 is a 21 amino acid peptide with diverse biologic activity such as highly potent vasoconstrictor and mitogen regulator that may play a key role in obstructive sleep ap-nea syndrome and pulmonary hypertension. Continuous positive airway pressure therapy is moderately effective in reducing pulmonary arterial pressure. Further researches are needed to assess the therapeutic efficacy of pharmacologic therapy with agents that inhibit the action of endothelin-1 in obstructive sleep apnea syndrome patients with pulmonary hypertension.

• The Journal of the Korean dental association
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• v.48 no.3
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• pp.190-195
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• 2010

Oral appliance therapy is a simple, reversible way for improving snoring and/or obstructive sleep apnea. It may be indicated for the patients who are unable to tolerate continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) or who have potential risks for surgical intervention. Oral appliance therapy increases airway space by the providing stable anterior positioning of the mandible, pulling out tongue, lifting up soft palate, or changing the muscle activity of the genioglossus. Currently, more than 80 different types of oral appliances have been introduced for snoring and/or obstructive sleep apnea. They are classified by their characteristics such as mode of action, adjustability and material used. This article provides a detailed clinical protocol and treatment procedure for oral appliance therapy.

• Anxiety and mood
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• v.4 no.2
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• pp.157-159
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• 2008

Continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) has been known as a safe and effective therapy for the patients with obstructive sleep apnea (OSA). Previous studies on CPAP treatment have often reported significant improvement in mood state in those patients. However, there are very few reports on its potential to induce manic or hypomanic episode in the patients with OSA. We report a case of 34-year-old patient with OSA who developed manic and hypomanic episodes consecutively after CPAP treatment with facial mask. We suggest that CPAP treatment could induce a manic or hypomanic episode in patients with obstructive sleep apnea.

• The Journal of the Korean dental association
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• v.53 no.4
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• pp.259-265
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• 2015

Recently, oral appliances for treating snoring and obstructive sleep apnea are widely used. Among various appliances, mandibular advancement devices are most effective without serious side effects. Advancement of mandible keep airway open and decrease snoring and/or obstructive apnea events. They can be used as stand-alone therapy or an adjunct to continuous positive air pressure for lowering air pressure. Oral appliances should be applied by dentists who have knowledges and experiences on occlusion and temporomandibular disorders and manage of side effects.

• Korean Journal of Clinical Laboratory Science
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• v.51 no.1
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• pp.119-123
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• 2019

Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) is a sleep disorder with no breathing symptoms due to repetitive upper airway resistance. OSA is a disease that can have significant effects on the cerebral cardiovascular system. Active treatment is needed to prevent these complications. The use of continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP), the standard therapy of OSA, has comparative therapeutic effects. On the other hand, there is no comparison report of the polysomnography (PSG) results before and after CPAP therapy without using a mask. This paper reports a patient who was diagnosed as OSA and used CPAP every night for more than 2 years. The patient showed a decrease in the apnea-hypopnea index from 64.7/h to 12.9/h. In addition, other sleep-related indicators improved significantly. The daily use of CPAP as a treatment for OSA for more than 2 years may improve the PSG results. Constant follow up of PSG will be needed to adjust the appropriate CPAP pressure to patients because there might be a change in the Apnea-Hypopnea Index and other sleep-related indicators for constant CPAP users for at least 2 years.