A 45-year-old man comes to the office complaining of snoring. The patient complains of tiredness around the day. His wife complains of his loud snoring, and he gasps for breath recurrently. He has diabetes mellitus type 2. His blood pressure is 160/98 mm Hg and his BMI is 39 kg/m2. On examination, the oropharynx is narrow and crowded with a large tongue. Electrical stimulation of which of the following nerves could relieve the patient's symptoms?

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

Eductional Objective: Obstructive sleep apnea may result from neuromuscular weakness of the oropharynx. Hypoglossal nerve electrical stimulation leads to increasing the diameter of the oropharyngeal airway and could halt apneic events.

A 45-Year-Old Man Comes to the Office Complaining of Snoring