Pharyngeal Wall Floppiness In Non-structure Caused Obstructive Sleep Apnea-hypopnea Syndrome

Objective1.To discover the significance of application of acoustic pharyngealmetry in screening OSAHS patients.2.Acoustic pharyngealmetry technology is utilized to evaluate the change and clinical significance of obstructive sleep apnea-hypopnea syndrome(OSAHS)patients caused by non-upper airway structural factor and normal individuals’ PWF(pharyngeal wall floppiness).Methods:1.305 OSAHS patients diagnosed by PSG and 50 individuals who had exclude OSAHS by PSG were enrolled in OSAHS group and control respectively.All subjects accepted the acoustic pharyngealmetry examination and items such as mean cross-sectional area,mean length of analysis,average volume in eupnea,upper airway volume in inhaling and exhaling were recorded.Pharyngeal wall floppiness index was calculated as well.All data between OSAHS group and control were compared and analyzed.2.Acoustic pharyngealmetry instrument of Ecconvision was utilized to examine 102 OSAHS patients and 50 normal individuals,separately recorded their volume of pharyngeal cavity in sit or supine position,calculated PWF in sit or supine position,and carried on statistical analysis.Results:1.There were no differences in mean cross-sectional area,mean length of analysis,average volume in eupnea between OSAHS group and control.Upper airway volume in exhaling of OSAHS groups was greater than control whereas upper airway volume in inhaling was less than control.Pharyngeal wall floppiness index of patients in OSAHS group was greater than in control.2.PWF(t=5.96,P<0.001)in sit position and PWF(t=9.63,P<0.001)in supine position of OSAHS group were all significantly higher than those of control group.PWFs in supine position of OSAHS group and control group were evidently higher than PWF(t=-11.91,P<0.001;t=-2.32,P=0.025)in sit position.△PWF(PWF_supine-PWF_sit)in OS A group was significantly greater than in control(F=41.173,P<0.01).PWF in sit position and supine position were all positively related with age(r=0.714,r=0.735,P<0.001)while irrelevant with BMI(P>0.05).Conclusion:1.There exists certain limited significance in evaluating OSA patients’ upper airway volume in eupnea and under wake by traditional acousticpharyngealmetry.But pharyngeal wall floppiness index,calculated by upper airway volume in inhaling and exhaling,may get sufficient significance in evaluating and screening OSAHS patients.2.PWF can be utilized to be an index to reflect the physiological feature of upper airway.PWF can more precisely reflect upper airway collapsibility of OSAHS patients on the condition of PWF in supine position.Pharyngeal wall floppiness quantified as a high PWF index is a non-structure vital factor of OSAHS patients and plays a role of guiding us to make personal treatment plans for OSAHS patients.