A size analysis in obstructive sleep apnea patients / 대한치과교정학회지

The sybmental region in patients with Obstructive Sleep Apnea (OSA) is perceived to be larger than normal. Therefore, neck thickness has become a variable routinely measured during clinical screening of OSA subjects. In general, OSA patients are believed to have a large tongue and a narrow airway. To test if OSA patients have a larger face and tongue than non-alneics, eighty pairs of upright and supine cephalograms were obtained from four groups of subjects subclassified in accirdance with severity. The sum of distances between pairs of landmarks was calculated for each subjects and employed as a pure size variable for the face and tongue. Only tongue size become larger in accordance with apnea severity in both body positions (P<.01). Tongue size reflects apnea seveity, yet it provides only a small fraction of the explanation with regard to apnea severity. We conclude that size may be one factor of many which are significantly related to OSA seberity.

Cephalometric study of obstructive sleep apnea patients in the upright and supine positions / 대한치과교정학회지

Sixty male patients with polysomnographically documented OSA were included in this study. A pair of cephalograrns were obtained in the upright and supine positions. In the supine position, the ANB angle, lower facial height and the cross-sectional area of soft palate increased and there was a decrease in the vertical airway length and oropharynx cross-sectional area. Positional changes did not affect the cross-sectional area of tongue, but the cross-sectional area of the oropharynx decreased in the supine position. The obese group had higher AI and RDI. Maxillary unit length, C3-H, the cross-sectional areas of tongue, soft palate and oropharynx were significantly greater in the group Obese than in non-obese group. No correlation was noted between the mandibular unit length and OSA severity. The group of small mandibular unit length showed shorter lower facial height and maxillary unit length, and smaller cross-sectional area of tongue than the long mandibular unit length group. Hyold bone positioned more inferiorly and cross-sectional area of nasopharynx decreased as the OSA severity increased.