A LATERAL CEPHALOMETRIC STUDY OF PHARYNGEAL CAVITY IN KOREAN ADULTS

한국인 성인의 인두강에 관한 X선학적 연구

A study was performed to investigate the size of pharynegeal cavity and sexual differences between Korean adult male and female by introducing linear analysis of the lateral cephalogram. The radiograms were composed of 46 adult males aged 24.64 and 52 adult females aged 22.74 respectively. In order to study and measure the pharyngeal area the following skeletal landmarks were selected: S, N, A, Ptm, B, H, H', M, S' N, FH and CV, and the angle CV-FH was measured to provide a factor for correction of error resulting from improper head positioning of subjects, especially in the relative positions of A and H, while radiography. All points to be measured were projected at right angles to the Frankfort plane. For the purpose of measuring the anteroposterior dimensions of pharyngeal cavity the distances were measured in A-Ptm, A-S, S-Ptm and CV-H, and vertical measurements were made in SN-A, SN-PNS, SN-H' and M-H'. The obtained results were as follows: 1. The pharyngeal cavity is broader in the vertical than in the anteroposterior diameter in both sex and the maxium sexual differences were showed in the distances between SN and H', and minimal sexual differences in the distances between S and Ptm. 2. In general, the measurements of male were larger than those of female in the anteroposterior dimensions of pharyngeal cavity, but the distances bet-ween A and S, between CV and H showed significant sexual differences when evaluated statistically. 3. All of the measurements were larger in male than in female in vertical dimensions of pharyngeal cavity, and there were statistical significances of sexual differences in all variables.