Assessment of the risks of changes in brachiocephalic vessels according to ultrasound examination of patients with obstructive sleep apnea

Introduction. In the medical literature, there is not enough work on the impact of obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) on the development of atherosclerosis of the brachiocephalic arteries and venous dysgemenia. For the purpose of early diagnosis of vascular complications, further study of extracranial vessels in patients with OSA is necessary.Aim. To study the chances of changes in brachiocephalic vessels by ultrasound examination in patients with obstructive sleep apnea.Materials and methods. A survey was carried out of 88 patients. The results of anthropompetry, polysomnography and ultrasound examination of brachiocephalic vessels were evaluated.Results and discussion. New data were obtained on the severity of macroangiopathy, an increase in the peak systolic blood flow velocity in the internal jugular veins, and an increase in the diameters of the vertebral veins in patients with sleep apnea. It was also found that in patients with OSA, the chances of having a wide diameter of the common carotid artery (CCA) on both sides and the internal carotid artery on the left are more than 3 times higher, the probability of thickening of the intima-media complex in the area of the CCA and its bifurcation is more than on the left 3.5 times and the chances of macroangiopathy are 3 times higher in comparison with the examined patients without apnea.Conclusion. Timely assessment of the entire spectrum of pathological changes in the brachiocephalic vessels in patients with OSA will make it possible to diagnose early signs of atherosclerotic lesions of the arteries, venous dysfunction at the extracranial level.