Predictive Value of the Combination of Body Weight and Minimal Pharyngeal Cross-sectional Area in Assessing Obstructive Sleep Apnea

Objectives: The study aims to evaluate the predictive value of a comprehensive index composed of simple biometric parameters in predicting apnea hypopnea index. Subjects and Methods: Ninety-four adult patients with obstructive sleep apnea-hypopnea syndrome were retrospectively reviewed. Pharyngeal axial-computed tomography and polysomnography were applied before surgery. Minimal pharyngeal cross-sectional area, sleep-associated monitoring indices including apnea hypopnea index, and biometric characteristics including body weight were all recorded. Correlations between these parameters were analyzed using correlation and multiple linear regression analyses. Results: Apnea hypopnea index was significantly correlated with minimal pharyngeal cross-sectional area (r=-0.390) and body weight (r=0.553). A notably higher correlation coefficient (r=0.681) was found between apnea hypopnea index and a new comprehensive index composed of minimal pharyngeal cross-sectional area and body weight data. Conclusion: Apnea hypopnea index might be largely influenced by a combined effect of minimal pharyngeal cross-sectional area and body weight. The new comprehensive parameter combining minimal pharyngeal crosssectional area and body weight is an effective indicator for the evaluation of obstructive sleep apnea.