Does the Oropharyngeal Fat Tissue Influence the Oropharyngeal Airway in Snorers? Dynamic CT Study

OBJECTIVE The aim of this study was to determine if snorers have a narrower oropharyngeal airway area because of fat infiltration, and an elevated body mass index. MATERIALS AND METHODS Ten control subjects and 19 patients that snored were evaluated. We obtained 2-mm-thick axial CT scan images every 0.6 seconds during expiration and inspiration at the same level of the oropharynx. We selected the largest and the smallest oropharyngeal airway areas and found the differences. From the slice that had the smallest oropharyngeal airway area, the thickness of the parapharyngeal and subcutaneous fat was measured. The measurements from the left and right side were added together and single values for parapharyngeal and subcutaneous fat tissue thickness were then found. RESULTS The conventional measure of body mass index was significantly higher in the snorers (p < 0.05). The difference in the smallest oropharyngeal airway area between snorers and the controls was statistically significant (p < 0.01). The average difference between the largest and the smallest oropharyngeal area in the control group and the snorer group was statistically significant (p < 0.05). There was no significant difference in the largest oropharyngeal airway area, the total subcutaneous fat width and the total parapharyngeal fat width between snorers and control subjects (p > 0.05). CONCLUSION We concluded that the oropharyngeal fat deposition in snorers is not an important factor, and it does not predispose a person to the upper airway narrowing.