Abstract
<jats:p xml:lang="en">Background: Upper airway anatomy plays a crucial role in the pathophysiology of obstructive sleep apnea syndrome (OSAS). Most previous studies have focused on pharyngeal or craniofacial factors, while detailed morphometric data regarding the inferior nasal concha remain scarce. The aim of this study was to evaluate the morphology and morphometry of the inferior nasal concha in patients with OSAS and to examine its relationship with posterior choanal extension.Materials and Methods: Retrospective cranial CT images of 82 polysomnography-confirmed OSAS patients (41 females, 41 males) were analyzed. Using three-dimensional multiplanar reconstruction, the maximum anteroposterior length of the inferior nasal concha was measured bilaterally, and posterior choanal extension was recorded. All measurements were analyzed by side and sex and statistically compared according to choanal extension.Results: There was no significant difference in inferior nasal concha length between males and females on either side. Similarly, the frequency of choanal extension did not differ significantly between sexes. However, in both males and females, on both sides, the inferior nasal concha was significantly longer in cases with choanal extension than in those without (p&lt;0.05). No significant association was found between age and conchal length.Conclusions: The findings of this study indicate that, in patients with OSAS, inferior nasal concha length is not associated with sex or age but is closely related to posterior choanal extension. A longer inferior nasal concha appears more likely to project into the choana, which may contribute to posterior nasal airway narrowing. However, because this study did not include a non-OSAS control group, these findings should be interpreted as anatomical associations within an OSAS cohort rather than as OSAS-specific morphological features.</jats:p>