ReviewOTO open
The Effect of Tongue Volume and Adipose Content on Obstructive Sleep Apnea: Meta-analysis & Systematic Review.
Review in OTO open. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 8 papers.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
8 citing papers in PubMed.
- Review
- Effects of Volumetric Alterations of the Tongue Base on Craniofacial Growth in the Adult Minipig.Journal of morphology · 2026Article
- A sophisticated predictive framework for identifying obstructive sleep apnea syndrome in women with obesity during pregnancy.European journal of obstetrics & gynecology and reproductive biology: X · 2026Article
- Drug-Induced Sleep Endoscopy in Children Predicts OSA Severity.World journal of otorhinolaryngology - head and neck surgery · 2026Article
- Dynamics of oropharyngeal structures during respiration with the volume-altered tongue base of minipigs.Journal of applied oral science : revista FOB · 2026Article
- Weight loss improves the short-term efficacy of surgical treatment for obstructive sleep apnea.American journal of translational research · 2026Article
- Article
- Scalloped tongue: an additional, accessible and useful tool to detect severe obstructive sleep apnea?Frontiers in sleep · 2025Article
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
6 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
Objective: Macroglossia is a risk factor for obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) and has been linked to an elevated apnea-hypopnea index (AHI). Obesity may contribute to macroglossia, but its exact relationship is unknown and likely multifactorial, and the degree to which increased adiposity of the tongue affects the development of OSA is not understood. The primary objective of this study was to evaluate how tongue fat and volume relate to the presence and severity of OSA. Data Sources: Studies reporting the impact of tongue fat or volume were identified using predefined inclusion criteria from September 2002 to 2022. Review Methods: All studies underwent a 2-stage blinded screening, extraction, and evaluation process. Primary outcomes were the effect of tongue fat and volume on OSA severity and evaluation of study quality. Secondary outcomes included the impact of obesity on tongue fat distribution and OSA severity. Results: Out of 930 studies, 6 studies with 219 patients and 133 controls were included in meta-analysis. All 6 studies were case-control designs. Included studies showed low (4) and moderate (2) risks of bias. All studies compared tongue volume with an observed significant increase in tongue volume in OSA patients ( Conclusion: This meta-analysis supports increased tongue volume and tongue adipose as important risk factors associated with OSA. Larger studies investigating tongue fat distribution and the effect of weight changes on tongue fat and volume and OSA severity are needed to characterize this relationship better.
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Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.