Pulmonology Doctor or Otolaryngology Doctor (ENT) for OSA?

I have found a sleep certified pulmonary doctor AND a sleep certified Otolaryngologist (ENT) in town and am wondering if one of these specialties is better than the other for the treatment of severe sleep apnea?

An ENT would be better able to tell to what extent you had OSA or rather obstructions in your throat, nasal passages, sinuses etc. that might cause it, such as greatly enlarged tonsils, adenoids, nasal polyps or collapsed soft palate/uvula, enlarged uvula.

Usually, the ENT will use a flexible scope to look up into your nasal passages and sometimes up into the sinuses and might want a MRI of your sinuses also, to make sure you don't have an infection there that might be causing problems too.

If you have any of these they will probably try to talk you into surgery or one kind or another. Be aware that most of these, while they may work after surgery, most people still have to go back to CPAP use after a year or so. Sleep Apnea is not always caused by whatever is causing snoring. Many have it who do not snore.

I really don't know personally what connection a pulmonologist might have with diagnosing OSA. More important is to find a Sleep Doctor who is a Board Certified Sleep Specialist. If you know of any CPAP users, ask them who they go to and if they are happy with them. Call the local Medical Equipment stores (DME-Durable Medical Equiipment) and see who their Respiratory Therapists recommend. Also ask if either one has ever prescribed an APAP instead of a standard CPAP. This is important because that doctor is likely to be much more up-to-date and progressive than one who is living in the dark ages and hasn't kept up with recent technology.

Hard to tell which would be the better "doctor" just by his specialty. If you can visit both, perhaps you'd have a better idea which one suit you better. If I had to flip a coin, I think I'd go with a pulmonary specialist.

Janelle makes a good point. Asking how they regard autopaps might be a litmus test if you just can't decide between them.

The better doctor is the one that has the most experience treating people with OSA. My guess is that the ENT may lean toward the surgery route and the pulmonary doc may lean toward the cpap route. Both types will have something different to offer in terms of diagnosis, so it may be worthwhile to see both and then decide with whom you should continue treatment.