ABSTRACT
Objective @#To evaluate the morphology of the upper airway of children with obstructive sleep apnea-hypopnea syndrome (OSAHS) using cone-beam computed tomography (CBCT) combined with polysomnography (PSG) and provide references for clinical practice.@*Methods@# CBCT data of 45 OSAHS children and 45 normal children and PSG data of the OSAHS group were retrospectively collected. Three-dimensional reconstructions were performed using NNT 9.0 software. The total upper airway volume, nasopharyngeal volume, palatopharyngeal volume, glossopharyngeal volume, laryngopharyngeal volume, minimum cross-sectional area, anterior-posterior diameter of the minimum cross-section, and lateral diameter of the minimum cross-section were measured and recorded. According to PSG monitoring results, patients with an obstructive apnea hypopnea index (OAHI) and lowest oxygen saturation (LSaO2) were assessed. Body mass index (BMI) was recorded. The correlation between airway volume parameters, BMI and PSG test results was analyzed. @*Results@#The total upper airway volume, nasopharyngeal volume, palatopharyngeal volume, glossopharyngeal volume, laryngopharyngeal volume, minimum cross-sectional area, anterior-posterior diameter of the minimum cross-section, and lateral diameter of the minimum cross-section of the OSAHS group were significantly reduced compared with those of the control group (P<0.05). In the OSAHS group, the total upper airway volume, the minimum cross-sectional area and the lateral diameter of the minimum cross-section showed moderate negative correlations with the obstructive apnea hypopnea index (OAHI) (P<0.05). Moreover, the total upper airway volume, minimum cross-sectional area, anterior-posterior diameter of the minimum cross-section and lateral diameter of the minimum cross-section showed no correlation with the minimum blood oxygen saturation (P>0.05). No significant correlation was noted between BMI and PSG in the OSAHS group (P>0.05).@*Conclusion @#The morphology of the upper airway of children with OSAHS was significantly smaller than that of normal children. CBCT three-dimensional technology for analyzing the upper airway has a certain value in evaluating the morphology and degree of obstruction of the upper airway in children with OSAHS.