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Efficacy of daytime transcutaneous electrical stimulation of the genioglossus muscle in patients with obstructive sleep apnea syndrome: short report

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Abstract

Obstructive sleep apnea syndrome (OSAS) is characterized by hypotonia of lingual and suprahyoid muscles. Genioglossus muscle is responsible for protrusion and depression of the tongue. Its dysfunction results in occlusion of the upper airways and greater incidence of apnea-hypopnea events during sleep. The aim of this prospective study was to compare the effects of daytime transcutaneous electrical stimulation of the genioglossus muscle and standard continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) therapy on the quality of sleep, in patients with OSAS. During a 4-week study period, 19 patients with OSAS were subjected to daytime transcutaneous electrical stimulation of the genioglossus muscle before sleep and another 19 subjects underwent standard CPAP therapy. Polysomnography (apnea-hypopnea index, AHI), Epworth Sleepiness Scale (ESS) and Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI) were used to diagnose OSAS and to verify the efficacy of both treatments. Electrical stimulation treatment was reflected by a decrease in PSQI (p = 0.012) but did not influence ESS and AHI values (p > 0.05). In turn, CPAP therapy resulted in a significant decrease in ESS and AHI values (p < 0.001) but exerted no effect on PSQI (p = 0.089). Despite improvement of sleep quality, electrical stimulation does not seem to reduce AHI values in patients with OSAS. Daytime electrical stimulation can be considered as an adjunct treatment in OSAS. Future prospective studies should center on the identification of patients with OSAS who may benefit most from transcutaneous electrical stimulation.

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Acknowledgments

This study was funded by Grant nr 144-09921P.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Rehabilitation, Medical University of Bialystok, M. Sklodowska-Curie 24A St, 15-276, Bialystok, Poland

    Sylwia Chwieśko-Minarowska, Wojciech Aleksander Szewczak & Anna Kuryliszyn-Moskal

  2. Department of Lung Diseases and Tuberculosis, Medical University of Bialystok, Bialystok, Poland

    Łukasz Minarowski & Elżbieta Chyczewska

Authors
  1. Sylwia Chwieśko-Minarowska
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  2. Łukasz Minarowski
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  3. Wojciech Aleksander Szewczak
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  4. Elżbieta Chyczewska
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  5. Anna Kuryliszyn-Moskal
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Correspondence to Sylwia Chwieśko-Minarowska.

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All procedures performed in studies involving human participants were in accordance with the ethical standards of the institutional and/or national research committee and with the 1964 Helsinki declaration and its later amendments or comparable ethical standards.

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Informed consent was obtained from all individual participants included in the study.

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Chwieśko-Minarowska, S., Minarowski, Ł., Szewczak, W.A. et al. Efficacy of daytime transcutaneous electrical stimulation of the genioglossus muscle in patients with obstructive sleep apnea syndrome: short report. Eur Arch Otorhinolaryngol 273, 3891–3895 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00405-016-4047-9

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00405-016-4047-9

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