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Relationships among retropalatal airway, pharyngeal length, and craniofacial structures determined by magnetic resonance imaging in patients with obstructive sleep apnea

  • Sleep Breathing Physiology and Disorders • Original Article
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Abstract

Background

The integration of anatomical and nonanatomical parameters will improve our ability to predict the outcomes of OSA treatment. Currently, no standardized, quantitative classification of upper airway anatomical traits is available. The retropalatal (RP) airway is the most important area to consider when planning anatomical treatment. However, current evaluation methods feature qualitative conventional endoscopy. Here, we describe a quantitative magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) method used to classify RP airway patterns.

Methods

We recruited 117 males; 20 simple snorers and 97 patients with OSA. Lateral/anteroposterior ratios were calculated in three parallel planes and RP patterns were classified accordingly. Lateral wall soft tissue structures, skeletal dimensions representing those planes, pharyngeal lengths, and skeletal and vertical axis ratios were also measured.

Results

Both the cross-sectional area at the hard palate level and the RP lateral dimension were associated with OSA. OSA patients had longer pharynges than controls. The oblique pattern was associated with narrow lateral dimensions. The vertical pattern was associated with a narrow nasopharynx but a longer pharynx. The airway ratio at the hard palate level and the skeletal ratios of all three planes were negatively correlated with the vertical axis ratio and together explained 40.8% of the variance in the vertical axis ratio.

Conclusions

The data suggest that anatomical imbalances between the craniofacial skeletal and soft tissue structures affect pharyngeal airway morphology in all three dimensions. The dimensions of the nasopharynx, the cross-sectional area at the hard palate level, and pharyngeal length were associated not only with the RP patterns but also with OSA severity. This study affords insights into upper airway anatomy and RP patterns and may help diagnose OSA patients and aid in the selection of an appropriate therapy.

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Funding

This study was supported by the Baskent University Research Fund (project no. KA17/36).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, Baskent University, Ankara, Turkey

    Suat Avci & Erdinc Aydin

  2. Department of Radiology, Baskent University, Ankara, Turkey

    Hatice Lakadamyali

  3. Department of Chest Disease, Baskent University, Ankara, Turkey

    Huseyin Lakadamyali

  4. Department of Biostatistics, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Selcuk University, Konya, Turkey

    Mustafa Agah Tekindal

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  1. Suat Avci
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  2. Hatice Lakadamyali
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  3. Huseyin Lakadamyali
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  5. Mustafa Agah Tekindal
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Correspondence to Suat Avci.

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All procedures involving human participants were performed in accordance with the ethical standards of our institutional and/or national research committee and with those of the 1964 Helsinki declaration and later amendments, or comparable ethical standards.

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Avci, S., Lakadamyali, H., Lakadamyali, H. et al. Relationships among retropalatal airway, pharyngeal length, and craniofacial structures determined by magnetic resonance imaging in patients with obstructive sleep apnea. Sleep Breath 23, 103–115 (2019). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11325-018-1667-x

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11325-018-1667-x

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