Background Polysomnography is the essential diagnostic method for obstructive sleep apnea (OSA), yet it is unable to pinpoint the specific locations of airway blockage. The sites of obstruction can be determined with lateral cephalometry and drug-induced sleep endoscopy (DISE), both of which facilitate the spatial evaluation of skeletal and soft tissue elements. Objectives Assessing the correlation between the findings of the lateral cephalometry and DISE in determining the site of obstruction in cases of OSA. Material and method This prospective cross-sectional study was conducted on sixty patients with Apneahypopnea index (AHI) > 5 diagnosed by overnight sleep study. All patients were evaluated with DISE and lateral cephalometry. Results There was a significant negative correlation between AHI of patients with velum collapse and sella-nasion point A angle (SNA). There was a significant positive correlation between AHI of patients with velum collapse and A point -nasion – B point angle (ANB). There was a significant negative correlation between AHI of patients with lateral oropharyngeal wall collapse and both SNA and sella- nasion- point B angle (SNB). There was a significant positive correlation between AHI and ANB in patients with lateral oropharyngeal wall collapse. There was a significant negative correlation between AHI of patients with tongue base collapse revealed by DISE and SNB. There was a significant positive correlation between AHI of patients with tongue base collapse and ANB. Conclusion DISE and lateral cephalometry are complementary to each other. They are correlated in many ways in determining sites of airway collapse.
Ghazy et al. (Wed,) studied this question.