BACKGROUND There are important gaps in our understanding of the epidemiology and diagnosis of upper-airway obstruction. METHODS We examined the diagnostic value of several criteria for predicting upper-airway obstruction, and we measured the frequency of detecting upper-airway obstruction via quantitative and visual assessment of flow-volume loops. We studied 4 quantitative and 3 visual crite...

Introduction: The diagnosis of foreign bodies in the upper aerodigestive tract is usually straightforward but sometimes it can be delayed or the location of esophageal and upper airway foreign bodies can be mistakenly interchanged.  Case Report: We present two interesting cases that caused diagnostic challenges which could have led to serious complications if a greater delay in diagnosis ha...

To determine how the presence of generalised airflow limitation due to chronic obstructive lung disease affects the recognition of simulated upper airway obstruction, a study was carried out in 12 patients (mean (SD) age 57 (7) years) with chronic obstructive lung disease (FEV1% predicted 53 (22), range 21-70) and 12 matched control subjects. Patients and control subjects performed maximal insp...

Upper airway obstruction is common during both anaesthesia and sleep. Obstruction is caused by loss of muscle tone present in the awake state. The velopharynx, a particularly narrow segment, is especially predisposed to obstruction in both states. Patients with a tendency to upper airway obstruction during sleep are vulnerable during anaesthesia and sedation. Loss of wakefulness is compounded b...

The nose and upper airway play a sentinel role in the respiratory tract, alerting an individual to the qualities of the inspired atmosphere. The upper airway also clears contaminants from the inspired airstream and physically conditions inspired air before its entry into the lower respiratory tract. Given these anatomical and functional considerations, the nose may be the initial-or even prime-...

From a retrospective evaluation of data on accidents and deaths during dental procedures, it has been shown that several patients who refused dental treatment died of asphyxia during dental procedures. We speculated that forcible maximum opening of the mouth by using a mouth prop triggers this asphyxia by affecting the upper airway. Therefore, we assessed the morphological changes of the upper ...

BACKGROUND Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) is a major clinical disorder that is characterized by multiple episodes of upper airway obstruction due to the failure of the upper airway dilator muscles to maintain upper airway patency. This results in chronic intermittent asphyxia (CIA) due to repetitive apneas, but very little is known about the effects of CIA on upper airway muscle function. OBJE...

443 February 2013 A 53-yr-old man with esophageal cancer who underwent a previous transhiatal esophagectomy which was complicated by chronic aspiration presented to our Institation with neck pain and progressive spine deformity. Noncontrast sagittal reformat computerized tomography (fig. A) and T2 weighted fat saturated sagittally acquired magnetic resonance imaging (fig. B) revealed severe cer...