Effect of the velopharynx on intraluminal pressures in reconstructed pharynges derived from individuals with and without sleep apnea

Julien Cisonni; Anthony D. Lucey; Jennifer H. Walsh; Andrew J. C. King; Novak S. J. Elliott; David D. Sampson; Peter R. Eastwood; David R. Hillman

doi:10.1016/j.jbiomech.2013.07.007

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Effect of the velopharynx on intraluminal pressures in reconstructed pharynges derived from individuals with and without sleep apnea

Journal article

Peer reviewed

Effect of the velopharynx on intraluminal pressures in reconstructed pharynges derived from individuals with and without sleep apnea

Julien Cisonni, Anthony D. Lucey, Jennifer H. Walsh, Andrew J. C. King, Novak S. J. Elliott, David D. Sampson, Peter R. Eastwood and David R. Hillman

Journal of biomechanics, Vol.46(14), pp.2504-2512

2013

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jbiomech.2013.07.007

PMID: 23928355

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Abstract

Airway resistance

CFD

Obstructive sleep apnea

Pharyngeal wall pressure

Velopharynx

The most collapsible part of the upper airway in the majority of individuals is the velopharynx which is the segment positioned behind the soft palate. As such it is an important morphological region for consideration in elucidating the pathogenesis of obstructive sleep apnea (OSA). This study compared steady flow properties during inspiration in the pharynges of nine male subjects with OSA and nine body-mass index (BMI)- and age-matched control male subjects without OSA. The k– SST turbulence model was used to simulate the flow field in subject-specific pharyngeal geometric models reconstructed from anatomical optical coherence tomography (aOCT) data. While analysis of the geometry of reconstructed pharynges revealed narrowing at velopharyngeal level in subjects with OSA, it was not possible to clearly distinguish them from subjects without OSA on the basis of pharyngeal size and shape alone. By contrast, flow simulations demonstrated that pressure fields within the narrowed airway segments were sensitive to small differences in geometry and could lead to significantly different intraluminal pressure characteristics between subjects. The ratio between velopharyngeal and total pharyngeal pressure drops emerged as a relevant flow-based criterion by which subjects with OSA could be differentiated from those without.

Details

Title: Effect of the velopharynx on intraluminal pressures in reconstructed pharynges derived from individuals with and without sleep apnea
Authors/Creators: Julien Cisonni - Curtin University
Anthony D. Lucey - Curtin University
Jennifer H. Walsh - West Australian Sleep Disorders Research Institute
Andrew J. C. King - Curtin University
Novak S. J. Elliott - Curtin University
David D. Sampson - The University of Western Australia
Peter R. Eastwood - The University of Western Australia
David R. Hillman - West Australian Sleep Disorders Research Institute
Publication Details: Journal of biomechanics, Vol.46(14), pp.2504-2512
Publisher: Elsevier
Number of pages: 9
Grant note: iVEC 403953 / National Health and Medical Research Council; National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC) of Australia WA State Center of Excellence in eMedicine DP0559408 / Australian Research Council
Identifiers: 991005592652307891
Murdoch Affiliation: Vice Chancellery
Language: English
Resource Type: Journal article

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Collaboration types: Domestic collaboration
Citation topics: 1 Clinical & Life Sciences; 1.137 Sleep Science & Circadian Systems; 1.137.382 Obstructive Sleep Apnea
Web Of Science research areas: Biophysics; Engineering, Biomedical
ESI research areas: Molecular Biology & Genetics