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Effect of continuous positive airway pressure on regional cerebral blood flow during wakefulness in obstructive sleep apnea

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Abstract

Background

The alteration of regional cerebral blood flow (rCBF) during wakefulness after the treatment for obstructive sleep apnea syndrome (OSA) using continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) has not been elucidated. The aim of this study was to investigate rCBF characteristics and the effects of nasal CPAP in OSA patients.

Methods

Fifteen severe OSA patients (apnea–hypopnea index, 62.7 ± 22.4/h), when awake, underwent Technetium-99m ethyl cysteinate dimer single photon emission computed tomography before and after CPAP treatment, and the findings were compared to those of nine healthy controls matched for age and sex.

Results

Compared to controls, patients with OSA before CPAP treatment showed a significantly lower rCBF in the frontal lobe. After the treatment, no difference in rCBF was observed between the good CPAP compliance group and the controls. In the former group, there was a positive correlation between the 3 % oxygen desaturation index on diagnostic polysomnogram and the increase of rCBF after CPAP treatment in the frontal lobe.

Conclusions

When awake, patients with severe OSA were shown to have reversible decreases in rCBF, especially in the frontal lobe, and an appropriate CPAP treatment was thought to improve rCBF in this area. Our results support the importance of appropriate CPAP treatment for severe OSA patients.

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Acknowledgments

This work was supported in part by grants from the Arthritis Foundation of the Ministry of Health, Welfare, and Labor of the Japanese Government and the Japan Rheumatology Foundation and by a Grant-in-Aid for Young Scientists (start-up 19890214) from the Japan Society for the Promotion of Science.

Conflict of interest

Dr. Yuichi Inoue is supported by Hisamitsu Pharmaceutical Co. Inc., Nippon Boehringer Ingelheim Co. Ltd., Philips Respironics GK, Alfresa Pharma Corporation, Takeda Pharmaceutical Company Limited, MSD K.K., Pacific Medico Co. Ltd., Otsuka Pharmaceutical Co. Ltd., Eisai Co. Ltd., Mitsubishi Tanabe Pharma Corporation, Eisai Co. Ltd., GlaxoSmithKline KK., Sanofi-Aventis K.K., and Yoshitomi Yakuhin Corporation. All other listed authors have no conflicts of interest to disclose.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Respiratory Medicine, Juntendo University Graduate School of Medicine, 2-1-1 Hongo, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo, 162-0814, Japan

    Satomi Shiota, Hidenori Takekawa, Yasuko Yoshioka & Kazuhisa Takahashi

  2. Department of Somnology, Tokyo Medical University, Tokyo, Japan

    Yuichi Inoue

  3. Department of Medical Engineering, Juntendo University Graduate School of Medicine, Tokyo, Japan

    Masaki Kotajima & Mami Nakajyo

  4. Department of Psychiatry, Juntendo University Graduate School of Medicine, Tokyo, Japan

    Chie Usui

  5. Ueno Sleep Clinic, Tokyo, Japan

    Tatsuo Koga

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  1. Satomi Shiota
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  2. Yuichi Inoue
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  9. Kazuhisa Takahashi
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Correspondence to Satomi Shiota.

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Shiota, S., Inoue, Y., Takekawa, H. et al. Effect of continuous positive airway pressure on regional cerebral blood flow during wakefulness in obstructive sleep apnea. Sleep Breath 18, 289–295 (2014). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11325-013-0881-9

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11325-013-0881-9

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