한국 남성 수면무호흡 환자에서 설동맥과 혀의 위치관계 분석을 통한혀 기저부 기능 수술 시 안전 영역에 대한 연구

Abstract

Background and Objectives Upon operation of the tongue base for obstructive sleep apneasyndrome (OSAS), the lingual artery and the hypoglossal nerve are put at risk of injury,resulting in fatal complications such as massive bleeding upon damage. We studied the courseof lingual artery in its relation with the tongue in OSAS patients and compared it with the ageand-gender-matched normal population. Subjects and Method Korean male patients confirmed with OSAS by polysomnography,including those who had contrast-enhanced computed tomography (ceCT) of the head andneck, were defined as “OSAS group.” Patients who had their ceCT image during the samestudy period were defined as the “control group.” The control group was paired with the OSASgroup by age and sex. By using foramen cecum (FC) as the main reference point, four referencemarks were defined. For each reference point, the distance between both lingual arteriesand the depth of the lingual artery from the lingual surface of the tongue were evaluated. Results The depth of the lingual artery from the lingual surface of the tongue in the OSASgroup (25.1±8.6 mm) was significantly different from the control (29.5±5.9 mm) at 1 cm anteriorto the FC level (p<0.014). The width of both lingual arteries was narrower in the OSASgroup (20.9±2.9) than in the control (24.3±6.1) at the FC level (p<0.003). Conclusion The course of lingual artery and its spatial relation with the tongue in Koreanmale OSAS patients differs from the matched normal population.