Abstract
Objectives: A cross-sectional review to assess the ability of the neck circumference(NC) to predict obstructive sleep apnoea syndrome(OSAS) in a population group from Timisoara, Romania.
Methods: 836 consecutive adult male patients referred to a sleep lab were polysomnographic evaluated for OSAS between 2005-2013. NC was recorded. With the area under curve(AUC) derived from the receiver-operating characteristic(ROC) curve we assessed the classification ability of NC for the diagnostic of OSAS. Sensitivity, specificity, positive predicted value(PPV), negative predicted value(NPV), positive likelihood ratio(LR+) and negative likelihood ratio(LR-) were calculated for different cut-off points.
Results: Age=19-83years; NC=30-62cm. 778(93.1%) patients with OSAS, with apnoea-hypopnea index(AHI)> 5/hour. median AHI=38.75/h.Correlation was found between NC and AHI (ρ=0.35, p<0.001). AUC=0.71 (95% CI 0.63-0.79, p<0.001)[figure1]. The optimal NC was 41 cm, sensitivity=0.8099, specificity=0.5185, PPV=0.9588, NPV=0.1647. LR+=1.68 indicating that a male patient with NC>41 is 1.68 times more likely to have OSAS
.
Conclusion: NC measurement is easy to obtain with no additional costs. NC is a reliable measurement in patients suspected to have OSAS on a population referred to a sleep lab. Patients with NC of more than 41 cm should have a priority for the overnight sleep study.
- © 2014 ERS