3-D Reconstruction of Nasopharyngeal Airways in Malaysian Subjects

Abstract

Objectives: To develop 3-D nasopharyngeal airways from 2-D acoustic rhinometer data for diagnostic purposes. Methods: Rhinometer readings were taken from 285 Malaysian subjects. Data from the right (R) and left (L) nostrils were stratified according to age and sex. The sample comprised: 88 Female Teenagers (FT); 77 Female Adults (FA); 70 Male Teenagers (MT), and 50 Male Adults (MA). New algorithms were developed and encoded in C++ using Air-Ex3™ software. Mean 3-D left and right nasopharyngeal airways were computed for each group, and subjected to finite-element scaling analysis and principal components analysis, using statistical tests for dependent groups. Results: Comparing the corresponding 3-D mean left nasopharyngeal airway with the right side for all four groups, no statistical differences were found. When comparing left sides by age and sex, however, significant differences were detected for the following groups: MAL vs. FTL, MAL vs. FAL, MAL vs. MTL, MTL vs. FTL (p < 0.05). Similarly, for the right side, significant differences were detected for the following groups: MAR vs. FTR, MAR vs. FAR, MAR vs. MTR (p < 0.05), but MTR was not significantly different from FTR. Therefore, the adult Malay male 3-D nasopharyngeal airway differs from females (both teenagers and adults) and teenage males, bilaterally. Specifically, the adult Malay male nasopharyngeal airway is narrower in the anterior nasal valve region closer to the nostril and wider in the distal regions of the 3-D nasopharyngeal airway. Conclusions: This protocol may useful for the diagnosis, treatment planning and assessment of nasopharyngeal conditions, such as snoring, sleep disordered breathing and obstructive sleep apnea. As well, a similar methodology can be applied to 2-D acoustic pharyngometry data.