title: Correlation between hippocampal sulcus width and severity of obstructive sleep apnea syndrome.
abstract: The aim of the present study was to evaluate the relationship between obstructive sleep apnea syndrome (OSAS) severity and the hippocampal sulcus width in a cohort of subjects with OSAS and controls. A total of 149 OSAS patients and 60 nonapneic controls were included in the study. Overnight polysomnograpy was performed in all patients. Hippocampal sulcus width of the patients was measured by a radiologist blinded to the diagnosis of the patients. Other variables noted for each patient were as follows: gender, age, body mass index, apnea hypopnea index, Epworth sleepiness scale, sleep efficacy, mean saturation, lowest O2 saturation, longest apnea duration, neck circumference, waist circumference, hip circumference. A total of 149 OSAS patients were divided into three groups: mild OSAS (n = 54), moderate OSAS (n = 40), severe OSAS (n = 55) groups. The control group consisted of patients with AHI <5 (n = 60). Hippocampal sulcus width was 1.6 ± 0.83 mm in the control group; while 1.9 ± 0.81 mm in mild OSAS, 2.1 ± 0.60 mm in moderate OSAS, and 2.9 ± 0.58 mm in severe OSAS groups (p < 0.001). Correlation analysis of variables revealed that apnea hypopnea index (rs = 0.483, p < 0.001) was positively correlated with hippocampal sulcus width. Our findings demonstrated that severity of OSAS might be associated with various pathologic mechanisms including increased hippocampal sulcus width.
authors.affiliation: Faculty of Medicine, Department of Neurology, Izmir Katip Celebi University, Izmir, Turkey.
authors.forename: Galip
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Akhan
authors.affiliation: Department of Otorhinolaryngology, Ataturk Training and Research Hospital, Izmir Katip Celebi University, Izmir, Turkey. songumurat@yahoo.com.
authors.forename: Murat
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Songu
authors.affiliation: Faculty of Medicine, Department of Chest Diseases, Izmir Katip Celebi University, Izmir, Turkey.
authors.forename: Sibel Oktem
authors.initials: SO
authors.lastname: Ayik
authors.affiliation: Faculty of Medicine, Department of Radiology, Dokuz Eylul University, Izmir, Turkey.
authors.forename: Canan
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Altay
authors.affiliation: Faculty of Medicine, Department of Chest Diseases, Mugla University, Mugla, Turkey.
authors.forename: Serdar
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Kalemci
mesh_terms: D016022:Case-Control Studies; D015331:Cohort Studies; D005260:Female; D006624:Hippocampus / Q000033:anatomy & histology*; D006801:Humans; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D012720:Severity of Illness Index; D020181:Sleep Apnea, Obstructive / Q000150:complications*
keywords: Hippocampal sulcus width; Obstructive sleep apnea