The relationship between aerodynamic characteristics of the upper airway and severity of obstructive sleep apnea in adults

Abstract

ABSTRACT Objective To investigate the relationship between aerodynamic characteristics of theupper airway and severity of obstructive sleep apnea (OSA)in adults. Methods Ninety-seven adult OSA patients underwent polysomnography and cone beam computedtomography (CBCT). The anatomical and aerodynamic characteristics were measuredbased on CBCT images and computational fluid dynamics modelling of the upper airway. Results Aftercontrolling for patients’ gender, age, and body mass index (BMI), the maximumvelocity during inspiration (In-Vmax) led to the largest increase in theexplanatory power of apnea-hypopnea index (AHI) variation. The In-Vmax was closely correlated with theminimum axial area, and their relationship was represented by an inverselyproportional fitted curve. Conclusions TheIn-Vmax was the most relevant to OSA severity, and it could be used to assistin recognizing severe OSA patients and as a primary variable to evaluate treatmentoutcomes of OSA. The In-Vmax was closely related to the most constricted areaof the upper airway.