Insights into the Use of Point-of-Care Ultrasound for Diagnosing Obstructive Sleep Apnea

Abstract

Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) is a sleeping disorder caused by complete or partial disturbance of breathing during the night. Existing screening methods include questionnaire-based evaluations which are time-consuming, vary in specificity, and are not globally adopted. Point-of-care ultrasound (PoCUS), on the other hand, is a painless, inexpensive, portable, and useful tool that has already been introduced for the evaluation of upper airways by anesthetists. PoCUS could also serve as a potential screening tool for the diagnosis of OSA by measuring different airway parameters, including retropalatal pharynx transverse diameter, tongue base thickness, distance between lingual arteries, lateral parapharyngeal wall thickness, palatine tonsil volume, and some non-airway parameters like carotid intima–media thickness, mesenteric fat thickness, and diaphragm characteristics. This study reviewed previously reported studies to highlight the importance of PoCUS as a potential screening tool for OSA.

Use of Ultrasound to Verify the Impact of Telemedicine Myofunctional Therapy on Sleep Apnea Syndrome: Study Protocol Proposal

“…When using this protocol, in addition to reinforcing the need for apps to promote adherence to MT in sleep apnea, we consider it necessary to clinically monitor the anatomical changes that occur during therapy because excess soft tissue surrounding the upper airways can contribute to a narrow and collapsible airway. However, the effects of parapharyngeal fat deposits at different levels on the severity of OSA remain unclear [20,21]. DISE provides accurate vision and evaluation of the site of the collapse of the upper airways under conditions that better approximate natural sleep than with the patient awake [18].…”

“…In the context of OSA, submental ultrasound can be used to determine whether the size of the tongue muscles is adequate to keep the upper airways open during sleep. Small or weak muscles may increase the risk of airway obstruction and sleep apnea [20]. MT can increase the size and strength of the genioglossus and geniohyoid muscles, which helps to improve upper airway function and reduce the severity of OSA.…”