Sonographic evaluation of anatomical landmarks in patients with obstructive sleep apnea

Introduction Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) is the most common sleep-disordered breathing disorder with a worldwide increase in prevalence. Nocturnal CPAP therapy is the standard of care for these patients, but a variety of both conservative and surgical alternatives exist. The aim of this study is the evaluation of anatomical landmarks by sonography in patients with OSA and their correlation with the severity of the disease.

Material and Methods Patients with mild, moderate and severe OSA were included in the studies. The diagnosis was confirmed by means of home sleep test or polysomnography. Patients with primary snoring without obstructions and healthy volunteers served as a control group. In addition to clinical parameters, various landmarks were sonographically evaluated (e.g. distance between lingual arteries, horizontal and vertical tongue thickness, thickness of the pharyngeal wall, intima-media thickness (IMT) of the common carotid artery).

Results In each group over 25 patients could be enrolled. Evaluation of clinical parameters revealed differences in BMI and neck circumference. The evaluation of the sonographic parameters showed higher values ​​with increasing severity of OSA regarding distance between the lingual arteries, the horizontal and vertical thickness of the tongue, the thickness of the lateral pharyngeal wall and the IMT (all p<0.05). These measurements correlated with the AHI.

Conclusion Sonographic assessment of landmarks relevant to OSA revealed correlations between anatomical measures and IMT as a surrogate parameter for the risk of cardiovascular disease with the severity of OSA. In further investigations, these results should provide further insight into the pathogenesis of OSA and enable a more targeted therapy.

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Publication History

Article published online:
10 June 2020