Magnetic Resonance Imaging of the Upper Airway

Abstract

In contrast to the traditional view that relaxation of the tongue causes airway obstruction, this study suggests that airway closure occurs at the level of the soft palate. Application of nasal CPAP can counteract an anesthesia-induced pharyngeal narrowing by functioning as a pneumatic splint. This is supported by the observed reduction in anteroposterior diameter at the level of the soft palate during propofol anesthesia and the subsequent increase in this measurement during nasal CPAP application.