Effect of the velopharynx on intraluminal pressures in reconstructed pharynges derived from individuals with and without sleep apnea
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 compa...
| Main Authors: | , , , , , , , |
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| Format: | Journal Article |
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Elsevier
2013
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| Online Access: | http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11937/47942 |
| _version_ | 1848757973028962304 |
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| author | Cisonni, Julien Lucey, Anthony Walsh, J. King, Andrew Elliott, Novak Sampson, D. Eastwood, P. Hillman, D. |
| author_facet | Cisonni, Julien Lucey, Anthony Walsh, J. King, Andrew Elliott, Novak Sampson, D. Eastwood, P. Hillman, D. |
| author_sort | Cisonni, Julien |
| building | Curtin Institutional Repository |
| collection | Online Access |
| description | 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–ωωSST 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. |
| first_indexed | 2025-11-14T09:36:36Z |
| format | Journal Article |
| id | curtin-20.500.11937-47942 |
| institution | Curtin University Malaysia |
| institution_category | Local University |
| last_indexed | 2025-11-14T09:36:36Z |
| publishDate | 2013 |
| publisher | Elsevier |
| recordtype | eprints |
| repository_type | Digital Repository |
| spelling | curtin-20.500.11937-479422019-02-19T04:27:23Z Effect of the velopharynx on intraluminal pressures in reconstructed pharynges derived from individuals with and without sleep apnea Cisonni, Julien Lucey, Anthony Walsh, J. King, Andrew Elliott, Novak Sampson, D. Eastwood, P. Hillman, D. Velopharynx Pharyngeal wall pressure Obstructive sleep apnea Airway resistance CFD 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–ωωSST 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. 2013 Journal Article http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11937/47942 10.1016/j.jbiomech.2013.07.007 Elsevier fulltext |
| spellingShingle | Velopharynx Pharyngeal wall pressure Obstructive sleep apnea Airway resistance CFD Cisonni, Julien Lucey, Anthony Walsh, J. King, Andrew Elliott, Novak Sampson, D. Eastwood, P. Hillman, D. Effect of the velopharynx on intraluminal pressures in reconstructed pharynges derived from individuals with and without sleep apnea |
| title | Effect of the velopharynx on intraluminal pressures in reconstructed pharynges derived from individuals with and without sleep apnea |
| title_full | Effect of the velopharynx on intraluminal pressures in reconstructed pharynges derived from individuals with and without sleep apnea |
| title_fullStr | Effect of the velopharynx on intraluminal pressures in reconstructed pharynges derived from individuals with and without sleep apnea |
| title_full_unstemmed | Effect of the velopharynx on intraluminal pressures in reconstructed pharynges derived from individuals with and without sleep apnea |
| title_short | Effect of the velopharynx on intraluminal pressures in reconstructed pharynges derived from individuals with and without sleep apnea |
| title_sort | effect of the velopharynx on intraluminal pressures in reconstructed pharynges derived from individuals with and without sleep apnea |
| topic | Velopharynx Pharyngeal wall pressure Obstructive sleep apnea Airway resistance CFD |
| url | http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11937/47942 |