[Quantitative evaluation of the upper airway by CT scan with the Muller maneuver]

To explore the quantitative evaluation of upper airway by CT scan with Muller maneuver, and study the difference of the pharynx wall resilience between OSAHS patients and normal adults.

Twenty-five patients with OSAHS and 20 normal adults were included in the study. CT evaluated the upper airway from roof of nasopharynx to glottis with the use of a Phlips Tomoscan AV Expander E1 spiral scanner. The cross section area and the dimension of palate, uvula, lingua and epiglottis region upper airway were studied. Then repeated the same scan process when testee play-ed Muller maneuver, and calculated the total pharynx wall resilience (TPWR), lateral pharynx wall resilience (LPWR) and anterior post-pharynx wall resilience (APPWR) of different levels of upper airway.

Between OSAHS patients and normal adults, there are obviously difference in the TPWR and LPWR of palate, uvula, lingua region upper airway, and no difference in epiglottis region upper airway. There are obviously difference in the APPWR of palate and uvula region upper airway, and no difference in lingua and epiglottis region upper airways. The LPWR is much more than APPWR in all four level of upper airway in both OSAHS patients and normal adults.

The study suggest that we can get quantitative data of upper airways by CT scan. And there are obviously TPWR, LPWR and APPWR difference at different levels of upper airway between OSAHS patients and normal adult, the increasing of TPWR, LPWR and APPWR is one etiology of OSAHS.