Cephalometric airway analysis in obstructive sleep apnea syndrome.

In obstructive sleep apnea syndrome, polysomnograms characterize the nature and severity of the disorder but, rarely, its specific site. Therefore, 90 patients with documented obstructive sleep apnea were evaluated by cephalometric technique, with special attention paid to the size and position of the soft palate and uvula, volume and position of the tongue, mandibulo-maxillary relationship, hyoid position, and size of the pharyngeal airway space. Results showed major differences between control patients and patients with obstructive sleep apnea in over 50% (30/52) of the objectively measured indices of the cephalometric airway. Further, many changes in the cephalograms of these patients can be correlated with disease severity.