Purpose Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) is a common clinical disorder characterized by repetitive airway obstruction during sleep. The gold standard for diagnosis of OSA, polysomnogram (PSG), cannot anatomically localize obstruction. Precise identification of obstruction has potential to improve outcomes following surgery. Current diagnostic modalities that provide this information require anesth...

The clinical manifestations of asthma are caused by obstruction of the conducting airways of the lung. Two airway cell types are critical for asthma pathogenesis: epithelial cells and smooth muscle cells. Airway epithelial cells, which are the first line of defense against inhaled pathogens and particles, initiate airway inflammation and produce mucus, an important contributor to airway obstruc...

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...

Cervical lymphangioma can cause airway obstruction secondary to enlargement following infection. Physicians should be aware that the airway obstruction can progress rapidly when patients with cervical lymphangioma have respiratory symptoms. Sclerotherapy for lymphangioma can cause both transient swelling and airway obstruction; thus, prophylactic and elective tracheostomy should be considered.

PURPOSE Sedatives must be carefully titrated for patients with obstructive sleep apnea-hypopnea syndrome (OSAHS) as oversedation may lead to disastrous respiratory outcomes. This study aimed to investigate the relations between the effect-site concentration (Ce) of propofol and sedation and airway obstruction levels in patients with OSAHS. MATERIALS AND METHODS In 25 patients with OSAHS, seda...

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...

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...

BACKGROUND Airway obstruction and feeding difficulty can occur in patients born with Pierre Robin sequence. In select patients with pronounced micrognathia, surgical intervention to relieve the airway obstruction is necessary. The surgical indications and appropriate surgical procedure continue to have a great deal of controversy. The purpose of this study was to evaluate our experience of tong...

Gimeno, F., Berg, W. Chr., Steenhuis, E. J., de Vries, K., Peset, R., and Sluiter, H. J. (1974). Thorax, 29, 16-20. Exercise-induced airway obstruction in relation to chronic obstructive lung disease. Forty-two patients with chronic obstructive lung disease and clinically suspected exercise-induced airway obstruction were studied to ascertain whether those with proven exercise-induced airway ob...

Acute postoperative sialadenitis is a rare complication usually after surgery involving extreme head and neck rotation, such as posterior fossa surgery. It characterized by the development of swelling in submandibular region, contralateral to surgical side, either immediately or within hours post-operatively. We report case 43-year-old woman who developed leading upper airway obstruction period...