A team of researchers from the International Society for Optics and Optical Engineering (SPIE) has developed a new imaging technique that could make it easier to identify and diagnose sleep apnea. The method also hopes to shed light on the causes of this condition. The results of their research were recently published in Biophotonics Discovery .
Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) is a surprisingly common sleep disorder in which the airway repeatedly closes during sleep, causing breathing to stop. Despite advances in medical technology, OSA remains difficult to diagnose; many current methods don’t provide a complete picture of what’s happening in the airway while a person sleeps. So researchers have been searching for better, less invasive ways to diagnose OSA and guide treatment.
A recent study has discovered a groundbreaking new imaging technique that could change the way we understand and treat sleep apnea. The method uses swept-source optical coherence tomography (OCT), a technique often used in ophthalmology exams. But here’s a twist: researchers have tweaked it to visualize the upper airway in incredible detail. By adapting the OCT system to specialized equipment, they were able to expand its reach and capture high-resolution 3D images of the airway both when subjects were awake and asleep.
The study looked at a 28-year-old patient who suffered from breathing problems caused by a sleep disorder. The OCT system allowed the team to create 3D reconstructions of the patient’s airway, showing how it changes when awake and asleep. The researchers found that the most significant blockages in the pharynx, the part of the airway at the back of the mouth, are a common problem area in OSA.
For even more accuracy, they added computational fluid dynamics (CFD). This technology allows them to simulate airflow through the airways and detect regions of turbulence – areas where the airflow is most disrupted. By combining these two methods, the research team was able to pinpoint exactly where the worst blockages occur during sleep.
This new imaging modality could be a breakthrough in the diagnosis and treatment of OSA. This approach could provide physicians with a clearer and more detailed view of the airways and the air moving within them, allowing them to plan more effective surgeries and improve patient outcomes. This is a groundbreaking step in addressing this common, yet often underdiagnosed, condition.
Journal References:
Jing, C, J., et al . (2024) Optical coherence tomography for localizing upper airway obstruction in patients with apnea. biophotonicsdiscovery.doi.org/10.1117/1.BIOS.1.3.035002
sauce:
International Society for Optics and Photonics (SPIE)
