THE INVESTIGATION IN TO THE POSITIONAL CHANGES OF PHARYNGEAL AIRWAY IN SNORERS WITH ACOUSTIC PHARYNGOMETRY
1GATA, Kulak Burun Boğaz, Ankara, Türkiye2Jandarma Hastanesi, Kulak Burun Boğaz, Ankara, Türkiye Aim: To investigate the effects of position on the pharyngeal airway in the patients with snoring and obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) syndrome with acoustic reflection technique.
Methods: The pharyngeal airways of 16 snorers without apnea and 31 patients with OSA were examined with acoustic pharyngometry both in sitting and in supine position. Minimum pharyngeal cross-sectional area (Min A), mean pharyngeal cross-sectional area (Mean A) and volume (V) were compared between both groups and positions.
Results: Min A was significantly different in supine position (t = 2.207; p = 0.032), while there were not any significant difference in the other parameters in any position, when the parameters of two groups were compared (p > 0.05). Despite Mean A and V significantly reduced in snorers without apnea when the positions of the patients were changed from sitting to supine position (respectively, t = 4.417; p<0.001, t = 5.254; p<0.001), Min A did not change significantly (t = 1.648; p = 0.120). In the patients with OSA, Min A, Mean A and V lowered significantly with the supine position (respectively, t = 6.160; p < 0.001, t = 6.410; p < 0.001, t = 2.665; p = 0.012). OSA was determined as an effective factor in Min A parameter (p = 0.018).
Conclusion: Patients with OSA had significantly narrower minimum pharyngeal cross-sectional area in supine position than patients with patients without apnea. Therefore, Min A in supine position seems to be an important factor in pathogenesis of OUA.
Keywords : Obstructive sleep apnea, airway, acoustic reflection technique, acoustic pharyngometry