Evaluation of the adult with sleep apnea.

Twenty-seven cases of adult sleep apnea are reported. The patients were studied with all-night polysomnography. Seven (26%) had predominately obstructive sleep apnea, while another seven (26%) had predominantly central sleep apnea. Thirteen patients (48%) were found to have a mixed pattern. Obesity was not a reliable guideline for predicting differential etiology. We conclude that sleep studies with specific monitoring are essential in the evaluation of the adult with sleep apnea prior to therapeutic intervention.