Structural Changes Following Velopharyngeal Resistance Training (Continuous Positive Airway Pressure Therapy)

Abstract

Objective: To evaluate the feasibility/effectiveness of using magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) to document velopharyngeal (VP) structural changes induced by continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) therapy. Outcome Measures: Changes in velar length and thickness, levator veli palatini (LVP) length and thickness, velar volume, and intravelar muscular proportion along the course of CPAP therapy participation (Pre-CPAP, Post-CPAP, and withdrawal). Results: Velar and LVP lengths remained nearly the same, with the median changes (Δ) less than 0.6%, across repeated conditions. Although varying in magnitudes of change, median velar volume (Δ4%), velar thickness (Δ20%), LVP thickness (Δ17%), and intravelar muscular proportion (Δ10%) illustrated a consistent pattern of increases following the 8-week CPAP therapy. These VP structural measurements slightly decreased but remained above the pretraining condition after 8-week detraining. Conclusions: This report successfully demonstrated that MRI is a viable tool to document CPAP therapy–induced VP structural changes while providing preliminary empirical data.