Analysis of the cause of retrolingual obstruction in patients with moderate-severe obstructive sleep apnea.

PURPOSE: To evaluate the percentage of obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) patients with retrolingual obstruction in all moderate-severe OSA patients and the proportions of different causes in all moderate-severe OSA patients with retrolingual obstruction and to discuss the accuracy of the Friedman tongue position (FTP) and retrolingual cross-sectional area (RCSA) in assessing the retrolingual obstruction. METHODS: Two hundred and twenty moderate-severe OSA patients were enrolled. After retrolingual obstruction was diagnosed, the percentage of OSA patients with retrolingual obstruction in all moderate-severe OSA patients was calculated. After that, the different causes of retrolingual obstruction were diagnosed based on different diagnostic criteria, and the proportions of different causes in all moderate-severe OSA patients with retrolingual obstruction were calculated. Finally, the correlations between FTP, RCSA, and apnea-hypopnea index after nasopharyngeal tube insertion (NPT-AHI) were analyzed, and the proportions of different causes of retrolingual obstruction based on different FTP and RCSA were observed. RESULTS: There were 128 patients with retrolingual obstruction, accounting for 58.2% of all moderate-severe OSA patients. In 128 patients with retrolingual obstruction, the proportions of glossoptosis (48.4%), palatal tonsil hypertrophy (28.1%), and lingual hypertrophy (8.6%) were relatively high. Both FTP and RCSA did not correlate with NPT-AHI. The proportion of lingual hypertrophy increased gradually with the increase of FTP and the proportions of glossoptosis in all FTP classifications were high. The patients with RCSA > 180 mm2 were mainly affected by glossoptosis and palatal tonsil hypertrophy, while patients with RCSA ≤ 180 mm2 were mainly affected by lingual hypertrophy. CONCLUSION: The percentage of patients with retrolingual obstruction in all moderate-severe OSA patients is relatively high, mainly glossoptosis, palatal tonsil hypertrophy, and lingual hypertrophy. FTP classification and RCSA can only reflect the retrolingual anatomical stenosis, but cannot fully reflect the retrolingual functional stenosis, especially the presence of glossoptosis.

The effect of laryngopharyngeal reflux on arousal in patients with obstructive sleep apnea.

BACKGROUND: Laryngopharyngeal reflux (LPR) may be associated with the severity of obstructive sleep apnea (OSA). However, it is unknown whether LPR may be associated with arousal. OBJECTIVE: To clarify the effect of LPR on arousal in OSA. METHODS: This study included 120 OSA patients. The correlations between LPR scores and arousal index (ArI) were analyzed. Finally, to further clarify the effect of LPR on ArI, we analyzed the correlations between respiratory event-related arousal index (BERAI), leg-movement-related arousal index (LMRAI), snore-related arousal index (SRAI), spontaneous arousal index (SAI), and RSI score. RESULTS: Partial correlation analysis showed that the RSI score was positively correlated with ArI (p = .000), mainly correlated with BERAI and SAI (r = 0.422, p = .000; r = 0.212, p = .020). While controlling for apnea-hypopnea index (AHI), the RSI score was still positively correlated with ArI (p = .002), mainly correlated with BERAI and SAI (r = 0.252, p = .006; r = 0.200, p = .029). CONCLUSIONS AND SIGNIFICANCE: The effect of LPR symptoms on arousal in OSA exists. The more severe the LPR was, the more frequent the arousal in OSA patients was. Thereinto, respiratory event-related arousal and spontaneous arousal were the most obvious.

Measurement of Lingual Artery Using Ultrasound Versus Computed Tomography Angiography for Midline Glossectomy in Patients With Obstructive Sleep Apnea.

OBJECTIVE: To clarify the differences in assessing the course of the lingual artery between lingual artery computed tomography angiography (CTA) and ultrasound (US). METHODS: Twenty-six OSA patients were included in this study and accomplished lingual artery CTA and US, respectively. The differences in the depths of the lingual arteries and the distances between the bilateral lingual arteries on 3 measurement levels based on lingual artery CTA and US were compared. RESULTS: The depths of the lingual arteries on 3 measurement levels by CTA were deeper than those by US (P < .01). There was no significant difference in the distances between bilateral lingual arteries on 3 measurement levels between CTA and US (P > .05). CONCLUSIONS: The parameters of lingual artery measured by lingual artery US were similar to or smaller than those measured by lingual artery CTA. Like lingual artery CTA, lingual artery US could be used as an effective method to ensure the safety of the operation.