Pharyngeal airway dimension in patients before and after treatment of myofascial pain syndrome

ABSTRACT

Objective: This study aimed: (1) to assess the localization of the anatomic landmarks of the pharyngeal airway on cone beam computed tomography (CBCT) images; and (2) to evaluate if resolution of myofascial pain syndrome (MPS) changed the airway dimensions.

Methods: Twenty-nine patients with pre- and post-treatment CBCT scans were randomly selected to locate five landmarks twice, with a two-week interval. The same landmarks were used to measure the airway volume and minimal cross-sectional area (CSA_min).

Results: The intra-observer reliability (ICC) was 0.99–1.00 for volumetric and CSA_min measurements, based on the five landmarks used. The paired t test showed no significant difference in the airway volume (p = 0.68) and CSA_min (p = 0.96).

Discussion: The outcomes showed that the landmarks used had excellent ICCs for the volumetric and CSA_min measurements. There was no change in volume and CSA_min of the pharyngeal airway after resolution of MPS.

KEYWORDS:

• Upper airway
• pharyngeal airway
• airway volume
• myofascial pain syndrome
• trigger points
• cone beam computed tomography
• CBCT
• anatomic landmarks

Disclosure Statement

The authors report no commercial, proprietary, or financial interest in this study.