title: Upper airway dimensions in patients with craniocervical junction malformations with and without sleep apnea. A pilot case-control study.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Patients with craniocervical junction malformations (CCJM) tend to suffer more frequently from sleep respiratory disturbances, which are more frequent and severe in patients with basilar invagination. Here we evaluate if patients with CCJM and sleep respiratory disorders (SRD) present smaller airway dimensions than patients without SRD.
  
  
  METHODS
  Patients with CCCM with and without sleep respiratory disturbances were evaluated clinically by Bindal's score, modified Mallampati classification, full-night polysomnography and upper airway cone beam tomography.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Eleven patients had sleep respiratory disorders (SRD), and nine patients performed control group without SRD. CCJM patients with SRD were predominantly female, older, had higher BMI, were more likely to have Mallampati grades 3 and 4 and had statistically significant smaller anteroposterior diameter of the upper airway than patients without SRD.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Patients with CCJM and sleep respiratory disturbances have higher BMI, higher Mallampati score and smaller anterior posterior diameter of the upper airway.
authors.affiliation: Instituto de Assistência Médica ao Servidor Público Estadual, Sao Paulo, SP, Brazil.
authors.forename: Ramon Barbalho
authors.initials: RB
authors.lastname: Guerreiro
authors.affiliation: Departamento de Psicobiologia, Universidade Federal de São Paulo, São Paulo, SP, Brazil.
authors.forename: Lia
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Bittencourt
authors.affiliation: Instituto de Assistência Médica ao Servidor Público Estadual, Sao Paulo, SP, Brazil.
authors.forename: Rodolfo Casimiro
authors.initials: RC
authors.lastname: Reis
authors.affiliation: Departamento de Neurocirurgia, Hospital do Servidor Público Estadual de São Paulo, São Paulo, SP, Brazil.
authors.forename: José Marcus
authors.initials: JM
authors.lastname: Rotta
authors.affiliation: Departamento de Psicobiologia, Universidade Federal de São Paulo, São Paulo, SP, Brazil.
authors.forename: Sérgio
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Tufik
authors.affiliation: Instituto de Assistência Médica ao Servidor Público Estadual, Sao Paulo, SP, Brazil.
authors.forename: Ricardo Vieira
authors.initials: RV
authors.lastname: Botelho
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000886:Anthropometry; D001139:Arnold-Chiari Malformation / Q000473:pathology* / Q000503:physiopathology*; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D054893:Cone-Beam Computed Tomography; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009929:Organ Size; D010614:Pharynx / Q000473:pathology* / Q000503:physiopathology*; D017286:Polysomnography; D012016:Reference Values; D012307:Risk Factors; D012737:Sex Factors; D012891:Sleep Apnea Syndromes / Q000503:physiopathology*; D018709:Statistics, Nonparametric; D013997:Time Factors