Childhood obesity remains epidemic and is most prevalent in minorities. Obese children have a higher risk for developing obstructive sleep apnea syndrome (OSAS) with an estimated prevalence of 50%, compared to the general pediatric population with a known prevalence of 2-4%. OSAS carries with it significant neurocognitive, cardiovascular, and metabolic derangements. Additionally, obese children do not respond well to treatment such as adenotonsillectomy or weight loss with residual OSAS exceeding 50%. Despite progress that has been made in recent years to understand the anatomical and functional attributes of OSAS in children, the precise mechanism leading to the disorder remains unknown in the majority of obese children, hindering the development of efficacious treatments. Thus, the overarching goal of this study is to implement state-of-the-art dynamic magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and image analytics using computational fluid dynamics (CFD) and biomechanical modeling, to establish the biomechanical basis that leads to OSAS or protects from it, in nave and treated children with obesity.
Obstructive sleep apnea syndrome is a common and difficult to treat disorder in obese children and leads to significant medical consequences. We still do not understand why some obese children suffer from this disorder while other do not. The current study will use advance imaging analytical tools combined with biomechanical models to better understand the causes of the disorder and ways to improve outcomes of treatment in these children.
| Subramaniam, Dhananjay Radhakrishnan; Arens, Raanan; Wagshul, Mark E et al. (2018) Biomechanics of the soft-palate in sleep apnea patients with polycystic ovarian syndrome. J Biomech 76:8-15 |
