Computed Tomography of the Oropharynx in Obstructive Sleep Apnea

Uvulopalatopharyngoplasty (UPPP) is currently the preferred method for treatment of the obstructive sleep apnea syndrome (OSAS). However, only 50 per cent of the patients operated upon are cured by this surgical procedure, and there is a demand for better and more objective selection criteria. Computed tomography (CT) of the oropharynx was obtained in 32 consecutive adult patients with proven OSAS. An additional 15 patients with the same complaints, but without objective evidence of OSAS, were used as a control group, together with 20 normal subjects. The axial widths of the tongue and the genioglossus and hyoglossus muscles were measured by CT. Both the tongue and genioglossus widths were significantly larger in the OSAS patients than in the two control groups (p