Cranial Base Characteristics in Adults with Obstructive Sleep Apnoea and Matched Controls: A Retrospective CBCT Study

Area of Science:

• Radiology and imaging
• Otorhinolaryngology
• Anatomy

Background:

• Obstructive sleep apnoea (OSA) is linked to craniofacial anatomy.
• Understanding cranial base morphology in OSA patients is crucial for diagnosis and treatment.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate cranial base and clival morphology in OSA patients versus controls using cone-beam computed tomography (CBCT).
• To analyze angular measurements and anatomical variations associated with OSA.

Main Methods:

• Retrospective CBCT analysis of 73 OSA patients and 73 controls.
• Measurement of skull base angle (SBA) and clivus angle (CA).
• Assessment of sphenoid sinus pneumatization, sella turcica morphology, and other anatomical variants.

Main Results:

• OSA patients showed a significantly smaller SBA and larger CA compared to controls (p < 0.001).
• Sphenoid sinus pneumatization patterns differed, with more presellar types in OSA patients.
• No significant differences in sella turcica morphology, CBM, or FNM were found.

Conclusions:

• Adult OSA patients exhibit specific cranial base angular features and sphenoid sinus pneumatization patterns.
• These CBCT-identified morphological traits may offer complementary information for OSA radiologic assessment.
• Cranial base configuration could play a role in OSA risk assessment, especially in patients without obvious maxillofacial abnormalities.