Gravitational forces, negative pressure and facial structure in the genesis of airway dysfunction during sleep: A review of the paradigm

The recent and distant literature has extensive discussion of how sleep apnea, adeno-tonsillar growth, and facial structural deformity are related. Conventionally, the order of cause and effect are: Inflammatory/infectious process →tonsillar/adenoid tissue growth→2) airway obstruction and mouth breathing/Obstructive Sleep Apnea (OSA)→3) altered facial structure (adenoid facies). Using this same reasoning, adenotonsillectomy is the first line of treatment in the prevention of structural abnormalities.
Source: Sleep Medicine - Category: Sleep Medicine Authors: Tags: Review Article Source Type: research