Test-retest reliability of drug-induced sleep endoscopy.

OBJECTIVE: To determine the test-retest reliability of drug-induced sleep endoscopy (DISE).

METHODS: Prospective cohort study. Patients with OSA underwent two separate DISE examinations. The following outcomes were measured: a global assessment of obstruction at the palate and/or hypopharynx; the degree of obstruction at the palate and hypopharynx; and the contribution of individual structures (palate, tonsils, tongue, epiglottis, and lateral pharyngeal walls) to obstruction.

RESULTS: Thirty-two patients underwent two separate DISE examinations. The preoperative sleep study apnea-hypopnea index was 40.7 +/- 21.1, and the lowest oxygen saturation was 79.8 +/- 17.4 percent. Point estimates for the intraclass correlation coefficient analogs related to palatal obstruction ranged from 0.41 to 0.89; related to the hypopharyngeal airway, the point estimates ranged from 0.57 to 0.84.

CONCLUSION: The test-retest reliability of DISE appears good, especially in the evaluation of the hypopharyngeal airway. Larger studies can generate more precise confidence interval estimates and test the generalizability of these findings.