Phenotypic Craniofacial and Upper Spine Characteristics in Patients with Obstructive Sleep Apnoea

Area of Science:

• Medical Imaging
• Orthodontics
• Sleep Medicine

Background:

• Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) is linked to craniofacial abnormalities.
• Understanding these morphological differences is crucial for diagnosis and treatment.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate craniofacial morphology, head posture, and upper spine deviations in adult OSA patients compared to healthy controls.
• To identify specific cephalometric differences associated with OSA.

Main Methods:

• Cephalometric analysis of lateral cephalograms from 51 OSA patients and 74 healthy controls.
• Assessment of skull thickness, sella turcica, nasal bone length, posterior cranial fossa, head posture, and upper spine morphology.

Main Results:

• OSA patients exhibited significantly more retrognathic maxilla and mandible, larger beta-angle, and smaller jaw angle.
• OSA patients displayed larger posterior cranial fossa dimensions and significantly more extended, forward-inclined head posture.
• Increased frequency of upper spine morphological deviations was observed in OSA patients; no significant differences in skull thickness, nasal bone length, or sella turcica morphology were found.

Conclusions:

• Significant craniofacial, head posture, and upper spine deviations are characteristic of adult OSA patients.
• These findings can assist in the diagnosis and phenotypic differentiation of OSA.
• The results contribute to understanding the etiology of OSA.