Role of submental ultrasound in diagnosing severe obstructive sleep apnea: A prospective diagnostic accuracy study
Full Text (PDF)
Fareed Shawky Basiony 1 * , Mahmoud Ahmed Arafa 1 , Mohammed Abdallah Rakha 1 , Emad Khamis Seddik 1 , Fatma Gamal Elsayed 2 , Eman M Moazen 2 , Hanaa Sayed Abdellateef Gahamy 2 , Sanaa Fathy Kotb 2 , Nehad Emad El Din Gomaa 2 , Omnia Shams Gouda 2 , Ahmed Mohamed Eldeeb 3 , Mohamed Osama Nour 4 , Ahmed Nabil Elsamanody 5 , Ahmed Seddik Abdelglil Mohamed 5
More Detail
1 Department of Chest Diseases, Faculty of Medicine for Boys, Al-Azhar University, Cairo, EGYPT2 Department of Chest Diseases, Faculty of Medicine for Girls, Al-Azhar University, Cairo, EGYPT3 Department of Radiodiagnosis, Faculty of Medicine, Al-Azhar University, Cairo, EGYPT4 Department of Health Promotion & Education, Faculty of Public Health and Health Informatics, Umm Al Qura University, Makkah, SAUDI ARABIA5 Department of Otorhinolaryngology, Faculty of Medicine, Al-Azhar University, Cairo, EGYPT* Corresponding Author

Abstract

Background: Recent research has explored the role of submental ultrasound (US) in assessing dynamic changes in upper airway soft tissues, particularly the tongue in obstructive sleep apnea syndrome (OSAS).
Aim: To investigate diagnostic potential of submental ultrasonographic parameters in diagnosing severe OSAS.
Patients and methods: A prospective diagnostic study including 60 adult patients with obstructive sleep apnea confirmed by polysomnography. Submental US was used to evaluate multiple parameters at rest and during Müller’s maneuver, which were then analyzed in relation to the apnea-hypopnea index (AHI) to identify markers of severe OSAS.
Results: Two equal groups of 60 patients based on AHI (< 30 vs. ≥ 30) were created. Ultrasonographic measurements showed significant increases in resting tongue base thickness (65.9 vs. 58.6 mm), and during Müller’s maneuver (64.9 vs. 58.6 mm), and a large distance between lingual arteries (32.6 vs. 28.0 mm) in the severe OSAS group (all p < 0.001). We didn’t find a significant difference in retropalatal space diameter during Müller’s maneuver (p = 0.135). The Epworth sleepiness scale scores were slightly higher, but not statistically significant in the severe group (p = 0.679).
Conclusion: The submental US is a practical, effective, and noninvasive bedside modality to diagnose severe OSAS.

Keywords

License

This is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution License which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.

Article Type: Original Article

ELECTRON J GEN MED, Volume 23, Issue 1, February 2026, Article No: em713

https://doi.org/10.29333/ejgm/17837

Publication date: 03 Feb 2026

Article Views: 23

Article Downloads: 10

Open Access References How to cite this article