-transparent.png){kind=logo}
We measured pharyngeal cross-sectional area and its change with alterations in lung volume in 10 subjects who snored and had obstructive sleep apnea, 6 subjects who snored and did not have obstructive sleep apnea, and 9 subjects who did not snore. Pharyngeal area was measured with use of an acoustic-reflection technique. We found that snorers with and without sleep apnea had a significantly smaller mean (+/- SE) pharyngeal cross-sectional area (4.1 +/- 0.2 and 3.7 +/- 0.9 cm2, respectively) at functional residual capacity than nonsnorers (5.4 +/- 0.5 cm2, P less than 0.025). When lung volume decreased from functional residual capacity to residual volume, both nonsnorers and snorers with sleep apnea had a decrease in pharyngeal area (from 5.4 +/- 0.5 to 4.5 +/- 0.4 cm2 and 4.1 +/- 0.2 to 3.4 +/- 0.2 cm2, respectively), whereas snorers without sleep apnea had no such decrease, suggesting that their pharynxes were less collapsible at low lung volumes. We conclude that snorers with and without sleep apnea have smaller pharyngeal cross-sectional areas than nonsnorers and that snorers with sleep apnea have a further decrease as lung volume falls.
T D Bradley, and
I G Brown, and
R F Grossman, and
N Zamel, and
D Martinez, and
E A Phillipson, and
V Hoffstein
July 1992,
Chest,
T D Bradley, and
I G Brown, and
R F Grossman, and
N Zamel, and
D Martinez, and
E A Phillipson, and
V Hoffstein
January 2002,
Acta oto-rhino-laryngologica Belgica,
T D Bradley, and
I G Brown, and
R F Grossman, and
N Zamel, and
D Martinez, and
E A Phillipson, and
V Hoffstein
September 1987,
The American review of respiratory disease,
T D Bradley, and
I G Brown, and
R F Grossman, and
N Zamel, and
D Martinez, and
E A Phillipson, and
V Hoffstein
November 2005,
Zhonghua yi xue za zhi,
T D Bradley, and
I G Brown, and
R F Grossman, and
N Zamel, and
D Martinez, and
E A Phillipson, and
V Hoffstein
July 1998,
The European respiratory journal,
T D Bradley, and
I G Brown, and
R F Grossman, and
N Zamel, and
D Martinez, and
E A Phillipson, and
V Hoffstein
January 2007,
Annals of Saudi medicine,
T D Bradley, and
I G Brown, and
R F Grossman, and
N Zamel, and
D Martinez, and
E A Phillipson, and
V Hoffstein
January 1992,
Acta oto-laryngologica,
T D Bradley, and
I G Brown, and
R F Grossman, and
N Zamel, and
D Martinez, and
E A Phillipson, and
V Hoffstein
January 1991,
Acta oto-laryngologica,
T D Bradley, and
I G Brown, and
R F Grossman, and
N Zamel, and
D Martinez, and
E A Phillipson, and
V Hoffstein
October 1990,
Thorax,
T D Bradley, and
I G Brown, and
R F Grossman, and
N Zamel, and
D Martinez, and
E A Phillipson, and
V Hoffstein
April 2001,
The Journal of otolaryngology,
