Computed Tomography-Measured Abdominal Subcutaneous Fat Thickness and Obstructive Sleep Apnea Risk: A Cross-Sectional...

This study investigated whether umbilical subcutaneous fat thickness (USFT), measured opportunistically on abdominal computed tomography (CT) images obtained for clinical indications, was associated with perioperative obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) risk assessed using the STOP-BANG questionnaire. In this cross-sectional observational study, 64 adult participants completed the STOP-BANG questionnaire, and USFT was measured on existing abdominal CT images using a standardized protocol. Associations between USFT and continuous variables were assessed using Spearman correlation, while comparisons across STOP-BANG risk categories were performed using the Kruskal-Wallis test. Exploratory logistic regression was used to assess the association between USFT and high STOP-BANG risk after adjustment for age. No significant correlation was observed between USFT and STOP-BANG score (ρ = 0.142, p = 0.264), and USFT did not differ significantly across STOP-BANG risk categories (p = 0.677). USFT was significantly higher among participants reporting snoring (p = 0.026) and showed positive correlations with body mass index (BMI; ρ = 0.663, p < 0.001) and neck circumference (ρ = 0.544, p < 0.001). USFT was not significantly associated with high STOP-BANG risk after adjustment for age. Overall, CT-measured USFT was not associated with STOP-BANG-based OSA risk in this study. Larger studies incorporating polysomnography (PSG)-confirmed OSA and adequately powered multivariable analyses are needed to determine the potential role of CT-derived adiposity measures in perioperative OSA risk assessment.