ReviewLaryngoscope investigative otolaryngology2025
The Obstructive Sleep Apnea Physical Exam: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.
Review in Laryngoscope investigative otolaryngology, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 2 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
2 citing papers in PubMed.
- 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
- Variability in Physical Exam Documentation for Obstructive Sleep Apnea.Laryngoscope investigative otolaryngology · 2026Article
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
Introduction: This systematic review aimed to determine the clinical utility of various physical exam findings in the diagnosis of obstructive sleep apnea (OSA). Methods: A systematic review of English articles identified from PubMed, Embase, CENTRAL, and Web of Science databases. Search terms included "sleep apnea," "physical exam," "polysomnography," and all relevant synonyms. Two reviewers independently screened abstracts, reviewed full texts, and extracted data from all studies that presented associations between physical characteristics and apnea-hypopnea index (AHI). Results: A total of 35 studies representing 13,854 patients were included in this review. The mean difference between high AHI and low AHI groups was 4.09 kg/m Discussion: Several physical exams have strong evidence in the literature supporting their strength at differentiating patients with and without OSA. These should be used routinely among providers who treat OSA, regardless of specialty, to help guide decisions about recommending a sleep study and selecting appropriate treatment. Other physical characteristics may be better assessed through advanced exam techniques or require more research and standardization in the way they are assessed by practitioners.
Indexed as
Identifiers
What OpenQuestion holds
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.