The Cervical Fat Tissue Volume is a Predictor for Moderate to Severe OSA

Area of Science:

• Medical Imaging
• Sleep Medicine
• Otolaryngology

Background:

• Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) involves upper airway obstruction during sleep.
• Upper airway anatomy is crucial in OSA pathogenesis.
• Quantifying cervical fat tissue volume (CFTV) may offer insights into OSA severity.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the relationship between CFTV measured by CT cephalometry and OSA severity.
• To determine if CFTV can predict moderate to severe OSA.

Main Methods:

• Retrospective study of adult patients diagnosed with OSA between 2018-2020.
• Volumetric cephalometric imaging and 3D reconstruction used for CFTV measurement.
• Analysis included correlation with OSA indicators (AHI, ODI, T90) and multivariate analysis.

Main Results:

• A progressive increase in CFTV was observed with increasing OSA severity (p < 0.01).
• CFTV significantly correlated with AHI, ODI, and T90 (Sp r: 0.48, 0.38, 0.36; p < 0.01).
• A CFTV cut-off of 64.1 ml predicted moderate to severe OSA (OR: 3.05, 95% CI: 1.14-8.17).

Conclusions:

• Cervical fat quantification via CT cephalometry is a valid correlate of OSA severity in adults.
• Elevated CFTV (> 64.1 ml) is associated with a >3-fold increased risk of moderate to severe OSA.
• CFTV measurement offers a potential imaging biomarker for OSA severity assessment.