Upper airway CT scan of obstructive sleep apnea and its diagnostic significance in stricture localization

ve To explore the value of CT scan in diagnosing the upper airway stricture in patients with obstractivesleep apnea syndrome (OSAS). Methods Fifty-nine OSAS patients (group A), 35 OSAS patients with obstructive sites already known (group B), and 53 normal adults were included in the study. CT scan was used to measure and evaluate the area and the dimensions of the palate, uvula, lingua, and epiglottis region, and the thickness of retropharyngeal and lateral pharyngeal tissue. Results Compared with the control group, the left-and-right dimension of the four areas and the fore-and-aft dimension of don field of group A were obviously smaller; the areas of retro-soft palate, cion and retro-lingua were obviously smaller, while the thickness of pharyngo-kteral wall, retro-soft palate and cion tissue was significantly larger. Differences were even larger between group B and the controls. The abnormal rate in group B was higher than that of group A. Conclusion CT scan is helpful in measuring the upper airway obstructive sites in OSAS patients.