Lingual-occlusal surface position predicts retroglossal obstruction in patients with obstructive sleep apnea hypopnea syndrome

Conclusion: Lingual-occlusal surface position was significantly related to retroglossal obstruction, and lingual-occlusal surface position may be an available reference in clinical practice for the preliminary assessment of retroglossal obstruction. Objective: To investigate the relationship between lingual-occlusal surface position and retroglossal obstruction in patients with obstructive sleep apnea hypopnea syndrome (OSAHS). Materials and methods: A total of 140 patients with OSAHS diagnosed by polysomnography (PSG) were enrolled. Lingual-occlusal surface position was evaluated and classified into three types. Airway computed tomograpy (CT) was performed to measure the retroglossal cross-sectional area and inner diameter. The PSG was repeated after the nasopharyngeal tube insertion (NPT-PSG). The NPT-PSG results, CT-measured data and incidence of retroglossal obstruction were compared among the different lingual-occlusal surface positions groups. Results: The demographics of OSAHS patients with different lingual-occlusal surface positions was similar. As lingual-occlusal surface position type varied from type I to type III, retroglossal cross-sectional area and inner diameter decreased, retroglossal airway obstruction rate increased, apnea hypopnea index (AHI) measured by NPT-PSG increased, and lowest oxygen saturation (LaSO2) decreased.