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Updated: Nov 24, 2025

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Published on: December 6, 2016
Correlation analysis of upper airway morphology in patients with obstructive sleep apnea and anatomically small
Feng-Chun Liao1,2,3,4, Tao Zhang1,2,3,4, Xuan-Ping Huang1,2,3,4
1Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, College of Stomatology, Guangxi Medical University, Nanning, People's Republic of China.
Objective:
To investigate the relationship between upper airway morphology and the severity of obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) in patients with anatomically small retruded mandibles.
Methods:
Fifty-two patients with small retruded mandibles underwent polysomnography and airway computed tomography. The airway morphology parameters and sleep assessment were compared between the patients with or without OSA.
Results:
Twenty-eight patients diagnosed with OSA, according to polysomnography, had a higher distance between the hyoid bone and mandibular plane (HMP), lateral dimension (LAT)/anteroposterior dimension (AP), but lower minimum cross-sectional area (mCSA), AP, surface area, volume, avgCSA, and airway uniformity (U). The apnea-hypopnea index had negative correlations with mCSA, AP, surface area, volume, avgCSA, and U, and had a positive correlation with HMP and LAT/AP.
Conclusion:
OSA is common among patients with small retruded mandibles and is associated with a more compressed upper airway shape and longer HMP.
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