Learning About Drug-Induced Sleep Endoscopy

Drug-induced sleep endoscopy (DISE) is a test the doctor uses to look at your airway while you are in a sleep-like state. It is often used for people who have obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) or other breathing problems during sleep.

During DISE, you're put into a light sleep. The doctor then uses a small camera to watch how the airway moves while you breathe. This lets the doctor see what is happening in real time.

DISE is most often used for people who already know they have OSA or other breathing problems during sleep. Doctors usually find sleep apnea with a sleep study. A sleep study shows that breathing is not normal, but it does not show exactly where the problem is happening. DISE helps doctors find that missing detail.

A doctor may recommend DISE to:

• Find where the airway is blocked.
• Better understand tricky or unclear airway problems.
• Help people who can't use a continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) machine.
• Plan treatments, such as surgery or an oral appliance.

DISE is helpful because it shows the doctor how a person’s airway works during sleep.

During the test, you are given medicine through an intravenous (I.V.) line to help you fall into a light sleep. This is important because in people with OSA, the airway may only narrow or close during sleep.

While you are asleep, the doctor places a thin, flexible tube with a small camera and light through your nose into your airway.

The doctor watches in real time to see:

• Where the airway gets narrow or closes.
• How much of the airway is blocked.
• How the airway changes as you breathe.
• The pattern of the blockage (for example, front-to-back or side-to-side).

DISE lets the doctor watch how the airway moves during sleep. This is important because when you have sleep apnea, your airway moves differently when you're asleep than when you're awake.

With one test, DISE can also find blockages in more than one part of the airway.

This information helps the doctor choose the best treatment and make a care plan that fits each person's needs.

DISE is usually safe, but there are some risks to know about.

Risks from the sleep medicine may include:

• Slower breathing.
• Low oxygen levels.
• Changes in heart rate.

Risks from the test itself may include:

• A short blockage in the airway.
• Mild soreness in the nose or throat after the test.
• Bleeding in rare cases.

DISE is usually a short test with a quick recovery. After the test, you will be watched as the sleep medicine wears off. Your breathing, oxygen level, and heart rate will be checked.

Your doctor will go over the results and make a treatment plan that fits your needs.

It's important to know that:

• Results may be a little different from normal sleep because medicine is used.
• Results can change based on how deeply you are asleep during the test.
• There is no single, standard way to label the results.
• DISE is usually used along with other tests and medical information to guide treatment decisions.