# Determination of the site of pharyngeal collapse in Obstructive Sleep Apnea patients from snoring sounds

> **NIH NIH R01** · BRIGHAM AND WOMEN'S HOSPITAL · 2024 · $561,255

## Abstract

ABSTRACT
 Obstructive Sleep Apnea (OSA) is a prevalent disorder that remains undertreated due to poor
adherence with continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP). Several studies suggest that the pharyngeal
airway can collapse at different sites in patients with OSA (velum, oropharyngeal lateral walls, tongue base,
and/or epiglottis). Furthermore, many of the non-CPAP treatments for OSA have been shown to work better for
some sites of collapse than others. The problem is, the site of collapse requires expensive or invasive
procedures, such as drug-induced sleep endoscopy (DISE). This proposal seeks to solve that problem by
determining the site of collapse from acoustic analysis of snoring sounds.
 In Aim 1, a model for predicting the site of collapse will be developed using DISE with simultaneously
measured snoring sounds in 800 individuals. In Aim 2, natural sleep endoscopy will be performed in a subset
of people from Aim 1 to confirm that the collapsing structure(s) produce the same sound in natural sleep as
drug-induced sleep. Finally, Aim 3 will test the ability to measure snoring sounds in the home environment.
Comparisons will be made between snores from natural sleep endoscopy and natural sleep at home (in the
same individual). Additionally, snoring will be measured at home on separate nights to test reproducibility
across nights.
 The studies in this grant are expected to produce an algorithm for estimating the site of pharyngeal
collapse from snoring sounds. This algorithm could improve the selection of patients for non-CPAP therapies
and potentially increase the number of patients effectively treated for OSA.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10913526
- **Project number:** 5R01HL128658-07
- **Recipient organization:** BRIGHAM AND WOMEN'S HOSPITAL
- **Principal Investigator:** DAVID ANDREW WELLMAN
- **Activity code:** R01 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2024
- **Award amount:** $561,255
- **Award type:** 5
- **Project period:** 2016-08-10 → 2026-07-31

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10913526

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10913526, Determination of the site of pharyngeal collapse in Obstructive Sleep Apnea patients from snoring sounds (5R01HL128658-07). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-25 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10913526. Licensed CC0.

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