Comparative study of anatomical features of primary and accessory maxillary ostia between patients with obstructive sleep apnea and healthy controls.

PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to examine how the size and shape of the maxillary sinus and its ostia (the primary maxillary ostium and accessory maxillary ostium) relate to each other in patients with OSA using computed tomography (CT) scans. Additionally, the study aimed to explore whether or not obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) had an effect on these structures.

METHODS

CT images of patients diagnosed with OSAS and healthy participants were evaluated to compare the patency, location, dimension, and presence of PMOs and AMOs using the Mann-Whitney U, Student t, and chi-square tests. Also, intragroup correlations were analyzed by Spearman's correlation test.

RESULTS

Among 139 patients with OSA and healthy controls, there were significant variations in the average length (p = 0.001) and width (p = 0.008) of PMOs among the study groups. The mean maxillary sinus volume was significantly decreased in the OSA group (p = 0.001). A significant decrease in the maxillary sinus volume was observed in the OSA group (p = 0.001). In the OSA group, a significant correlation was observed between PMO obstruction and the presence of AMO (p = 0.004). The healthy group had significant correlations (r = 0.755, p = 0.000) between the vertical height and the distance between PMO and the maxillary sinus floor. Correlation analyses revealed positive, strong correlations between study variables such as the mean length and width of AMO and the vertical height of the maxillary sinus (r = 0.566, p = 0.000) in the OSA group.

CONCLUSIONS

The current study indicated significant differences in sinus volume, PMO occlusion, and AMO-related dimensions between patients with OSA and healthy controls.