Acoustic pharyngometry: clinical and instrumental correlations in sleep disorders.
Acoustic Pharyngometry is a modern diagnostic method based on physical principle of acoustic reflection. It is useful for volume analysis of oro-pharyngo-laryngeal spaces.


OBJECTIVE
To evaluate variations of pharyngometric parameters in patients with sleep disorders and to establish a correlation between morpho-volumetric variations of oro-pharyngo-laryngeal spaces and the presence and severity of disease.


METHODS
a clinical and experimental study.


METHODS
110 patients, of which 70 with sleep disorders and 40 healthy patients as a control group, were analysed between June 2004 and June 2005. All patients underwent acoustic pharyngometry to evaluate the mouth and hypopharynx based on an explanatory chart.


RESULTS
A significant difference in parameters was observed between sleep disorder patients and the control group, especially in the amplitude of the I wave (significantly lower in patients with macroglossia), the extension of the O-F segment, and the amplitude of the O-F segment and hypopharyngeal area.


CONCLUSIONS
Although not a standardized test, acoustic pharyngometry was proved to be a useful method both in the diagnosis and severity of obstructive sleep apnea, and in post-operative monitoring of upper airway surgery in patients with sleep disorders.
Gelardi
Matteo
M
Departamento de Otorrinolaringologia, Universidade de Bari, Itália.
Del Giudice
Alessandro Maselli
AM
Cariti
Francesco
F
Cassano
Michele
M
Farras
Aline Castelante
AC
Fiorella
Maria Luisa
ML
Cassano
Pasquale
P
D000162:Acoustics / Q000295:instrumentation*; D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010614:Pharynx / Q000503:physiopathology*; D017286:Polysomnography; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D025363:Rhinomanometry; D012720:Severity of Illness Index; D012891:Sleep Apnea Syndromes / Q000503:physiopathology*