Computational Fluid Dynamics Study of Airflow in Upper Airway with Obstructive Sleep Apnea

Abstract

Obstructive Sleep Apnea disease is the most common sleep-disordered breathing medical condition and a potentially life-threatening affliction. Not all the surgical or non-surgical OSAS therapies are successful for each patient, also in part because the primary factors involved in the etiology of this disorder are not completely understood. In this work, we provide a review of the Computational Fluid Dynamics study of airflow though upper airway with OSA disease. The airflow characteristic and pressure distribution of the breathing airflow obtained from the numerical studies were discussed. In conclusion, CFD is a potential tool to predict patient-specific treatment outcome for upper airway with Obstructive Sleep Apnea disease.