Cephalometric Analysis on the Obese Patients with OSAHS

Objective To study the characteristics of the cephalometric analysis of obese patients with OSAHS. Methods 67 obese patients with OSAHS that their body mass index (BMI) was bigger than 30 and their AHI was over 5 by PSG were examined by cephalometric analysis, meanwhile 12 normal control were evaluated by same cephalometric analysis methods. Their age was from 40 to 60 years old. Results There were some characterisitics on the patients of obese patients with OSAHS. Their SNB was remarkably decreased and their position of hyoid bone was lower and more posterior. In term of the cephalometric analysis of the soft tissue around the upper airway, their sagital areas of tongue and soft palate remarkably increased, so did the rates of their area vs. oral-pharyngeal area. The narrow site was observed at the regions behind soft palate and tongue base, the rate was 54.02%. The single narrow site at the region behind soft palate was 29.89%. The narrow site occurred at all over of upper airway was 1.15%. There were 87.35% patients existed the narrow of the upper airway, and 72.41% patients were multipoint narrow in their upper airway. Conclusions The patients of obese patients with OSAHS are mostly abnormal on cephalometric analysis and their upper airway. These patients have multipoint narrow in their upper airway,the most common site is at the regions behind soft palate and tongue base.