Examination of craniofacial and airway anatomy by lateral cranial radiography in patients with obstructive sleep apnea syndrome

Aim: This study was conducted to investigate the relationship between UPPP anatomical features based on lateral cephalometric radiographs and AHI scores in a population consisting of patients confirmed with OSAS and simple snoring patients without OSAS diagnosis Material and Method: Our study was designed as a retrospective study on data from 110 patients, with 42 females and 68 males. Initially, the patient population was divided in to two groups. The first group consisted of simple snoring patients with AHI<5, while the second group comprised patients with AHI>5. Anatomical changes in the upright and supine positions were compared between these two groups. In the second stage, patients were divided in to four groups based on their AHI values: simple snoring group, mild OSAS group, moderate OSAS group, and severe OSAS group. All measurements taken from lateral cephalometric radiographs were compared among these groups. Results: As a result of our study, the mean age in the OSAS group was significantly higher compared to the control group. Both groups showed a significant decrease in oropharyngeal width, especially in the upright and supine positions. Additionally, in the supine position, there was a decrease in the distance between the hyoid bone and the mandibular plane in both groups. Furthermore, the Oropharyngeal Height (OHB) values showed a statistically significant difference between the control group and all other groups according to the second part of our study. The value of the distance between the hyoid bone and the uvula (YDU) was lower in the control group compared to the other OSAS groups Conclusion: Our study provides guiding information in the diagnosis and treatment of OSAS. to obtain more reliable results, further research involving a larger patient population and additional parameters such as BMI and techniques like sleep endoscopy may be necessary