Kamal Ibrahim
Head Otolaryngology Department, Police Authority Hospital, Cairo, Egipt.
Otolaryngol Head Neck Surg. 2004 Feb;130(2):223-8. doi: 10.1016/j.otohns.2003.08.024.
Acoustic reflectometry is a relatively new technique that quantifies upper airway obstruction. The oropharyngeal airway is geometrically complex and variable; therefore establishing a standard operating protocol and understanding the possible sources of artifacts are of great importance in obtaining reliable results. This work aims at assessing the repeatability of pharyngeal cross-sectional area measurements obtained from normal and snoring individuals.
Twenty adult normal volunteers (16 men and 4 women; mean age, 35.9 years) and 10 adult snorers (9 men and 1 woman; mean age, 36.4 years) were examined by acoustic reflectometry following the developed standard operating protocol.
Measurements of pharyngeal cross-sectional area are analyzed in 2 groups. In normal subjects where mean pharyngeal cross-sectional area in the first session was 3.187 cm(2), in the second session (same-day test-retest), the mean pharyngeal cross-sectional area was 3.239 cm(2), and in the third session 7 to 10 days later (day-to-day test-retest), it was 3.245 cm(2) (P > 0.4). In a second group of snoring patients where mean pharyngeal cross-sectional area in the first session was 2.244 cm(2), in the second session, mean pharyngeal cross-sectional area was 2.237 cm(2), and mean pharyngeal cross-sectional area in the third session (7 to 10 days later) was 2.238 cm(2) (P > 0.9).
These results show that repeatability of acoustic reflection results can be achieved following the standard operating protocol.
The study results add to the reliability of this technique in assessing the pharyngeal airway in patients with snoring and obstructive sleep apnea.
声反射测量法是一种量化上气道阻塞的相对新技术。口咽气道在几何形状上复杂且多变；因此，建立标准操作流程并了解伪影的可能来源对于获得可靠结果至关重要。这项工作旨在评估从正常人和打鼾者获得的咽部横截面积测量的可重复性。
按照制定的标准操作流程，对20名成年正常志愿者（16名男性和4名女性；平均年龄35.9岁）和10名成年打鼾者（9名男性和1名女性；平均年龄36.4岁）进行声反射测量法检查。
对两组的咽部横截面积测量结果进行分析。在正常受试者中，第一次测量时咽部平均横截面积为3.187平方厘米，第二次测量（同一天的重测）时，咽部平均横截面积为3.239平方厘米，在7至10天后的第三次测量（不同天的重测）时，为3.245平方厘米（P>0.4）。在第二组打鼾患者中，第一次测量时咽部平均横截面积为2.244平方厘米，第二次测量时，咽部平均横截面积为2.237平方厘米，第三次测量（7至10天后）时的咽部平均横截面积为2.238平方厘米（P>0.9）。
这些结果表明，遵循标准操作流程可实现声反射结果的可重复性。
该研究结果增加了这项技术在评估打鼾和阻塞性睡眠呼吸暂停患者咽部气道方面的可靠性。
