Already Diagnosed With Sleep Apnea? Understand What Your Report Actually Means.
A sleep study tells you that you have OSA and how severe it is. It rarely tells you why — or where the obstruction is. That “why” often determines whether CPAP is truly your only option. Dr Pranshu Mehta offers a structured ENT second opinion that looks at the causes your sleep study did not.
Why Patients Seek a Second Opinion
Most people with obstructive sleep apnea follow the same path: a sleep study, a severity number, and a CPAP prescription. CPAP works — while it is worn. But many patients find it hard to tolerate, impractical when travelling, and difficult to sustain for years. When they stop, every symptom returns.
What is often missed is the question that matters most: why is the airway collapsing in the first place? A polysomnography report measures events and oxygen levels. It does not examine the nose, the septum, the turbinates, the adenoids, the palate or the tongue base — the structures that frequently drive the obstruction, and which, when addressed, can reduce CPAP dependence or open up alternatives entirely.
What the Numbers in Your Report Mean
Before any second opinion, it helps to read your own report. Here is a plain-language decode of the terms you will see:
| Term | What it means |
|---|---|
| AHI | Apnea-Hypopnea Index — breathing pauses and partial obstructions per hour. The main severity measure: 5–15 mild, 15–30 moderate, above 30 severe. |
| RDI | Respiratory Disturbance Index — like AHI but also counts subtler airflow-limitation events (RERAs). Can be higher than AHI, and matters in upper airway resistance. |
| ODI | Oxygen Desaturation Index — how often your blood oxygen dipped per hour. Reflects the oxygen impact of the events. |
| Nadir SpO₂ | The lowest oxygen saturation recorded overnight. Lower values indicate more significant desaturation. |
| Sleep efficiency | Percentage of time in bed actually spent asleep. Low efficiency suggests fragmented, non-restorative sleep. |
| Supine vs non-supine | Whether events were worse lying on your back. A large difference suggests a positional component that can be treated. |
These numbers describe the severity and oxygen impact of your OSA. None of them describe the anatomical cause. That is precisely the gap an ENT evaluation fills.
🔍 The Question Most Reports Don’t Answer
A sleep study is run by a technician and scored by a sleep physician — neither of whom examines your airway structures. Yet for many patients, the obstruction is driven by treatable factors that never appear in the report:
A deviated nasal septum, enlarged turbinates, untreated allergic rhinitis, enlarged adenoids or tonsils (especially in younger patients), a narrow or high-arched palate, or tongue-base crowding. When these are identified and addressed, the airway behaves differently — and that can change which treatments are realistic for you. This is the heart of the OSA Reversal approach: treat the cause, not only the consequence.
A Second Opinion Is Worth It If…
- ✓You cannot tolerate CPAP, or have stopped using it.
- ✓You were never examined for nasal obstruction before being prescribed CPAP.
- ✓You are young or not overweight — which makes an anatomical cause more likely.
- ✓Your snoring persists despite treatment.
- ✓You want to understand whether surgery or non-CPAP options apply to your anatomy.
- ✓Your report shows a strong positional or upper-airway-resistance pattern.
- ✓You simply want to fully understand your own diagnosis before committing to lifelong therapy.
How the Second Opinion Works
Bring Your Report
Share your existing sleep study (PSG or home sleep test) report and any prior ENT or prescription history.
Structured Airway Exam
A focused ENT evaluation — nasal endoscopy, septum, turbinates, adenoids/tonsils, palate and allergy screening — to find the cause.
Clear Explanation of Options
A plain explanation of what your report means and which treatment pathways — CPAP, non-CPAP, surgical — realistically apply to you.
Understand Your Diagnosis Fully — Before You Commit to It for Life
Bring your sleep study report to Rog Nidan ENT & Dental Clinic, Janakpuri. Find out what is actually driving your sleep apnea, and what your real options are.