[Comparison of the cephalometric posterior airway analysis with endoscopic tongue base hypertrophy findings in patients with obstructive sleep apnea syndrome].

OBJECTIVES This study aims to identify the contribution of the cephalometric investigation in the soft tissue evaluation in patients with obstructive sleep apnea syndrome (OSAS). PATIENTS AND METHODS The clininical data of 300 patients (191 males, 109 females; mean age 48.3±9.9 years; range 24 to 76 years) diagnosed with OSAS in our clinic between January 2009 and May 2010 were retrospectively evaluated. All subjects in the test group had overnight polysomnography, cephalometry and flexible endoscopic examination. Distance and angle calculations were performed with the previously determined landmarks on cephalograms. The degrees of tongue base hypertrophy were recorded in the flexible endoscopic examinations. Posterior airway space calculations were compared with tongue base hypertrophy findings by using chi-square analysis. RESULTS The mean apnea hypopnea index (AHI) score and the mean supine AHI were calculated to be 24.7 and 26.5, respectively. According to the endoscopic examination, the tongue base hypertrophy was grade 0 in 20 patients (6.6%), grade 1 in 60 patients (20%), grade 2 in 122 (40.6%) patients and grade 3 in 98 (32.6%) patients. The posterior airway space value calculated to be 4 mm at minimum and 15 mm at maximum. When the cephalometric measurements of the patients were compared with the magnitude of tongue base hypertrophy detected by endoscopic examination, it was determined that the relationship with the size of the tongue base decreases as the posterior airway space increases. CONCLUSION Cephalometric investigation, which is known as adjunct technique in the soft tissue evaluation, does not provide adequate information in the evaluation of the OSAS patients.