Horner R L, Mohiaddin R H, Lowell D G, Shea S A, Burman E D, Longmore D B, Guz A
Department of Medicine, Charing Cross and Westminster Medical School, London, U.K.
Eur Respir J. 1989 Jul;2(7):613-22.
It has been suggested that deposition of fat in the soft tissues surrounding the upper airway may be an important factor in the pathogenesis of obstructive sleep apnoea (OSA) in obese subjects. We have used magnetic resonance imaging to determine the site(s) and size(s) of fat deposits around the upper airway in six obese patients with OSA (116-153% of ideal body weight) and five weight-matched controls without OSA (107-152% of ideal body weight). In all subjects, large deposits of fat were present postero-lateral to the oropharyngeal airspace at the level of the soft palate. Significantly more fat was present in these regions in the patients with OSA (p = 0.03). Fat deposits in the soft palate were observed in 4 of the 6 patients with OSA but none of the controls. Fatty streaks were observed in the tongue in 2 of the 5 controls and 3 of the 6 patients with OSA. Fat deposits were observed anterior to the laryngopharyngeal airspace, in submental regions, in all obese subjects. This study shows that more fat is present in those areas surrounding the collapsable segment of the pharynx in patients with OSA, compared to equally obese control subjects without OSA.
有人提出，上呼吸道周围软组织中的脂肪沉积可能是肥胖受试者阻塞性睡眠呼吸暂停（OSA）发病机制中的一个重要因素。我们使用磁共振成像来确定6名患有OSA的肥胖患者（体重为理想体重的116 - 153%）和5名体重匹配的无OSA对照者（体重为理想体重的107 - 152%）上呼吸道周围脂肪沉积的部位和大小。在所有受试者中，软腭水平的口咽气道后外侧存在大量脂肪沉积。OSA患者这些区域的脂肪明显更多（p = 0.03）。6名OSA患者中有4名观察到软腭有脂肪沉积，而对照组均未观察到。5名对照者中有2名、6名OSA患者中有3名在舌部观察到脂肪条纹。在所有肥胖受试者的喉咽气道前方、颏下区域均观察到脂肪沉积。这项研究表明，与同样肥胖但无OSA的对照受试者相比，OSA患者咽部可塌陷节段周围区域的脂肪更多。
