Vol.101 No.1 contentsPRACTICA OTO-RHINO-LARYNGOLOGICA
Vol. 101 No. 1 January 2008
A Case of Obstructive Sleep Apnea Syndrome
due to a Parapharyngeal Space Tumor
Masato Miyoshi, Kazumasa Maehara, Hirokazu Tanaka, Shuntaro Inagawa,
Hajime Hirayama, Tatsuyuki Banno, Tohru Tanigawa, Tetsuya Ogawa,
Meiho Nakayama, Satoshi Iwasaki and Shigeru Inafuku
(Aichi Medical University)
A 63-year-old man with a complaint of snoring and apnea was diagnosed as having severe obstructive sleep apnea syndrome. His apnea-hypopnea index was 68.3. His soft palate was swollen and the uvula was deviated to the left. A tumor covered by normal epithelium occupied and obstructed the choana and epipharynx. Computed tomography and magnetic resonance imaging demonstrated a mass measuring 55×55×45 mm in this area.
A biopsy was performed and the pathological diagnosis was schwanoma (neurilemmoma).
Nasal continuous positive airway pressure was introduced but was ineffective for apnea.
Due to the slow growing tendency of the tumor, transoral resection was planned under general anesthesia and the entire tumor was removed. The postoperative course was uneventful and apnea improved after this procedure.
Key words :obstructive sleep apnea syndrome, parapharyngeal space tumor, transoral approach