{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,4,24]],"date-time":"2026-04-24T01:04:35Z","timestamp":1776992675218,"version":"3.51.4"},"reference-count":47,"publisher":"MDPI AG","issue":"2","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2024,1,30]],"date-time":"2024-01-30T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1706572800000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"content-domain":{"domain":[],"crossmark-restriction":false},"short-container-title":["Life"],"abstract":"<jats:p>The anatomy of the upper airways influences the risk of obstructive sleep apnea (OSA). The size of soft tissue structures, such as the tongue, soft palate, and lateral walls of the pharynx, contributes to the pathogenesis of OSA. New lines of treatment for sleep apnea, such as myofunctional therapy (MT), aim to strengthen the oropharyngeal musculature to improve the defining parameters of apnea. The present protocol uses ultrasound imaging to measure the size of the lingual musculature non-invasively and cost-effectively and evaluates the changes in its morphology. Eligible patients include those with OSA who have undergone submental cervical ultrasound and drug-induced sleep endoscopy before starting MT with the AirwayGym app. Follow-up evaluations are conducted at 3 months after beginning treatment. Patients diagnosed with OSA via questionnaires and polysomnography or respiratory polygraphy are evaluated anatomically and functionally using the Iowa Oral Performance Instrument, a tongue digital spoon, somnoscopy, and submental cervical ultrasound to assess their responses to the AirwayGym app. The lingual thickness (mm) and volume (cm3) and the distance between both lingual arteries (mm) are measured. The AirwayGym app helps users and therapists monitor the patient performance of MT. Incorporating submental ultrasound can be a useful non-invasive tool to evaluate OSA and MT.<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.3390\/life14020197","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2024,1,30]],"date-time":"2024-01-30T03:45:12Z","timestamp":1706586312000},"page":"197","update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3390\/mdpi_crossmark_policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":3,"title":["Use of Ultrasound to Verify the Impact of Telemedicine Myofunctional Therapy on Sleep Apnea Syndrome: Study Protocol Proposal"],"prefix":"10.3390","volume":"14","author":[{"given":"Cristina","family":"Rodriguez Alcala","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"Anesthesiology Department, Hospital Quironsalud Marbella, 29680 Marbella, Spain"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Laura","family":"Rodriguez Alcala","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Otorhinolaryngology Department, Hospital Quironsalud Marbella, 29680 Marbella, Spain"},{"name":"Otorhinolaryngology Department, Hospital Quironsalud Campo de Gibraltar, 11379 Palmones, Spain"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Jose Maria","family":"Ignacio Garcia","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Neumology Department, Hospital Quironsalud Marbella, 29680 Marbella, Spain"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0001-6409-4921","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Guillermo","family":"Plaza","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Otorhinolaryngology Department, Hospital Universitario de Fuenlabrada, Universidad Rey Juan Carlos, 28943 Madrid, Spain"},{"name":"Otorhinolaryngology Department, Hospital Sanitas la Zarzuela, 28023 Madrid, Spain"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-6601-5331","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Peter","family":"Baptista","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Otorhinolaryngology Department, Cl\u00ednica Universitaria de Navarra, 31008 Pamplona, Spain"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Guillermina","family":"Lujan","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Otorhinolaryngology Department, Hospital Quironsalud Marbella, 29680 Marbella, Spain"},{"name":"Otorhinolaryngology Department, Hospital Quironsalud Campo de Gibraltar, 11379 Palmones, Spain"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Paula","family":"Mazzei","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Otorhinolaryngology Department, Hospital Quironsalud Marbella, 29680 Marbella, Spain"},{"name":"Otorhinolaryngology Department, Hospital Quironsalud Campo de Gibraltar, 11379 Palmones, Spain"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Juan Antonio","family":"Iba\u00f1ez-Rodriguez","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Otorhinolaryngology Department, Hospital Quironsalud Marbella, 29680 Marbella, Spain"},{"name":"Otorhinolaryngology Department, Hospital Quironsalud Campo de Gibraltar, 11379 Palmones, Spain"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-1670-4235","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Carlos","family":"O\u2019Connor-Reina","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Otorhinolaryngology Department, Hospital Quironsalud Marbella, 29680 Marbella, Spain"},{"name":"Otorhinolaryngology Department, Hospital Quironsalud Campo de Gibraltar, 11379 Palmones, Spain"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]}],"member":"1968","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2024,1,30]]},"reference":[{"key":"ref_1","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"1006","DOI":"10.1093\/aje\/kws342","article-title":"Increased Prevalence of Sleep-Disordered Breathing in Adults","volume":"177","author":"Peppard","year":"2013","journal-title":"Am. 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