Airway Knowledge Portal
Understand the airway.
Breathing, sleep-disordered breathing, obstructive sleep apnea, growth, and treatment — including what a device can do and what it cannot change.
What a device can do — and what it cannot change
Positive airway pressure can keep the airway open during sleep. It does not reconstruct anatomy. Imaging can describe structure. Imaging does not, by itself, diagnose obstructive sleep apnea. A sleep study measures breathing and other physiologic signals during sleep.
Airway anatomy
Nose, pharynx, tongue, jaws, and soft tissues.
Growth & development
How the face and airway form in childhood.
Sleep-disordered breathing
Snoring, obstructive events, and OSA are not the same diagnosis.
Children
Pediatric sleep-disordered breathing is not small-adult disease.
Sleep and breathing concerns
Witnessed pauses in breathing, gasping during sleep, marked daytime sleepiness, or concerning sleep and breathing symptoms in a child warrant discussion with an appropriate healthcare professional. A sleep study may be needed to diagnose sleep apnea.