Current developments in the diagnosis of sleep-related breathing disorders

Various diagnostic procedures are available to diagnose sleep-related breathing disorders. The present review examines the amount of diagnostics necessary for daily routine. Concerning taking patients' history, the medical examination and nasal parameters, no new recommendations derive from this review. On the other hand,the detection of the site of pharyngeal obstruction seems to have become less important than it was a couple of years ago. Today, the upper airway is considered to be a complex, functional unit. The classification of the obstruction site into retropalatal and retrolingual seems to be oversimplified. A fully attended, complete polysomnography in the sleep laboratory no longer seems to be necessary in every case of suspected sleep-related breathing disorders. Under certain conditions,ambulatory recording units provide cost-effective alternatives.