• Shuhua Li, Dahai Wu, Qin Jie, Jimin Bao, and Hongjin Shi.
• Department of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, General Hospital of Shenyang Military Area Command, No.83, Wenhua Road, Shenhe District, Shenyang, 110840, China, lishsy@sina.com.
• Eur Arch Otorhinolaryngol. 2014 Oct 1; 271 (10): 2737-43.

AbstractThe objective of the study was to investigate the relationship between lingua-epiglottis position and glossopharyngeal obstruction in patients with obstructive sleep apnea hypopnea syndrome (OSAHS). One hundred and four patients with OSAHS diagnosed by polysomnography (PSG) were enrolled. Lingua-epiglottis position was visualized using endoscopy and classified into three types. Spiral CT imaging of the upper respiratory tract was performed to measure the cross-sectional area and inner diameter of the glossopharyngeal airway. The PSG was repeated after nasopharyngeal tube insertion (NPT-PSG). The NPT-PSG results, CT-measured data and incidence of stenosis were compared among the different lingua-epiglottis position groups. Obstructive sleep apnea hypopnea syndrome patients with different lingua-epiglottis positions had similar demographics. As lingua-epiglottis position type varied from type I to type III, cross-sectional area and inner diameter of the glossopharyngeal area decreased, glossopharyngeal airway stenosis rate increased, and apnea hypopnea index measured by NPT-PSG increased. The lowest oxygen saturation decreased. Lingua-epiglottis position was significantly related to glossopharyngeal obstruction. Lingua-epiglottis position should be used in clinical practice for the preliminary assessment of glossopharyngeal obstruction.

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