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Airway changes in obstructive sleep apnoea patients associated with a supine versus an upright position examined using cone beam computed tomography

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  27 August 2014

M Camacho ,
R Capasso  and
S Schendel
M Camacho*
Affiliation:
Department of Sleep Medicine – Stanford Hospitals and Clinics, Redwood City, California, USA
R Capasso
Affiliation:
Department of Otolaryngology–Head and Neck Surgery, Stanford Hospitals and Clinics, Stanford, California, USA
S Schendel
Affiliation:
Department of Plastic Surgery, Stanford Hospitals and Clinics, Stanford, California, USA
*
Address for correspondence: Dr Macario Camacho, Department of Sleep Medicine, Stanford Hospitals and Clinics, 450 Broadway St, Pavilion B, 2nd floor, Redwood City, California 94063, USA Fax: +1 650 723 6685 E-mail: [email protected]
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Abstract

Objective:

This study aimed to describe total volume and cross-sectional area measurement changes in obstructive sleep apnoea patients associated with a supine versus an upright position.

Method:

A retrospective chart review of patients who underwent cone beam computed tomography in upright and supine positions was performed, and the images were analysed.

Results:

Five obstructive sleep apnoea patients (all male) underwent both upright and supine cone beam computed tomography imaging. Mean age was 35.0 ± 9.3 years, mean body mass index was 28.1 ± 2.7 kg/m2 and mean apnoea–hypopnoea index was 39.3 ± 23.0 per hour. The airway was smaller when patients were in a supine compared with an upright position, as reflected by decreases in the following airway measurements: total volume; posterior nasal spine, uvula tip, retrolingual and tongue base (not significant) cross-sectional areas; and site of the minimum cross-sectional area (of the overall airway). Total airway volume decreased by 32.6 per cent and cross-sectional area measurements decreased between 32.3 and 75.9 per cent when patients were in a supine position.

Conclusion:

In this case series, the airway of obstructive sleep apnoea patients was significantly smaller when patients were in a supine compared with an upright position.

Keywords

Obstructive Sleep ApneaCone Beam Computed TomographyPatient PositioningSupine PositionImaging, Three-DimensionalStatistics & Numerical DataPharynxUvulaPathology
Type
Main Articles
Information
The Journal of Laryngology & Otology , Volume 128 , Issue 9 , September 2014 , pp. 824 - 830
Copyright
Copyright © JLO (1984) Limited 2014. This is a Work of the U.S. Government and is not subject to copyright protection in the United States. 

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