ABSTRACT
The human upper airway is challenged with the difficult task of maintaining ventilation while simultaneously serving other functions including alimentation, phonation, and speech. In some individuals the upper airway becomes the limiting factor in respiratory gas exchange of oxygen and toxic carbon dioxide. The upper airway’s contribution to sleep disordered breathing represents a broad continuum of disorders. The spectrum can range from intermittent snoring and partial obstruction of the airway, to complete obstruction causing frequent, overt apneic events associated with significant medical morbidity and mortality. Most of the pathophysiologic processes for each are similar, differing in degree, not in nature. Although the most of the discussion presented in this chapter regards the pathophysiology of airway obstruction in adults, the principles also apply to the pediatric airway.
