The importance of pharyngeal examination findings in obstructive sleep apnea syndrome
Mukadder Korkmaz1, Hakan Korkmaz1, Fatma Küçüker2, Soner Çankaya3
1Ordu Üniversitesi Tıp Fakültesi Kulak Burun Boğaz Hastalıkları Anabilim Dalı, Ordu, Türkiye
2Ordu Devlet Hastanesi Göğüs Hastalıkları Kliniği, Ordu, Türkiye
3Ordu Üniversitesi Tıp Fakültesi Biyoistatistik Anabilim Dalı, Ordu, Türkiye
Keywords: Apnea hypopnea index, obstructive sleep apnea syndrome, physical examination, posterior fold, tongue, tonsil.
Abstract
OBJECTIVE: This study aims to investigate the relationship between pharyngeal examination findings and polysomnography (PSG) results in patients with prediagnosis of obstructive sleep apnea syndrome.
METHODS: Pharyngeal examination findings of the 266 patients (141 males, 125 females; mean age 51.8 years; range 25 to 83 years) who were admitted to the sleep laboratory and undergo PSG between November 2012 and December 2013 were retrospectively evaluated in this study. The relationship between polysomnographic data including apnea hypopnea index (AHI) and oxygen saturation values as well as physical examination findings (tonsil size, tongue size and the distance between posterior pharyngeal folds) and body mass index were statistically analyzed.
RESULTS: Although significant relation was found between tonsil size and oxygen saturation and desaturation values, there was no significant relationship between tonsil size and AHI (p=0.077). The relationships between the distance between posterior pharyngeal folds and AHI (p=0.025) and minimum oxygen saturation value (p=0.023) were significant. Significant relation was found between tongue size and oxygen saturation and desaturation values (p<0.001), but there was no significant relationship between tongue size and AHI (p=0.079).
CONCLUSION: The distance between pharyngeal folds is a valuable examination finding which can foresee the severity of the disease by helping determine the early recognition of the patients who primarily need PSG.