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

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 (CSAmin ).

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

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