Upper Airway Management in Obstructive Sleep Apnea: Latest Advances and Future Perspectives

Dear Colleagues,

Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) is a multifactorial disorder in which upper airway anatomy, function, and neuromuscular control play central roles. Understanding upper airway physiology—including the dynamic behavior of the airway during respiration, airway collapsibility, loop gain, arousal threshold, and muscle responsiveness—has become essential for clarifying OSA mechanisms and guiding precision therapy. These physiological insights help explain how structural and functional factors interact during breathing, enabling individualized treatment planning.

While continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) remains the standard therapy, limited adherence has accelerated the development of alternative and minimally invasive approaches, including upper airway stimulation (UAS). Sleep surgery is evolving toward comprehensive upper airway surgery, combining nasal, palatopharyngeal, tongue-base, and skeletal (craniofacial) procedures in personalized and multimodal treatment strategies.

This Special Issue, “Upper Airway Management in Obstructive Sleep Apnea: Latest Advances and Future Perspectives,” welcomes studies on upper airway physiology, diagnostic imaging, computational fluid dynamics, upper airway and craniofacial surgery, UAS, and multidisciplinary care aimed at improving precision sleep medicine and long-term outcomes.

Prof. Dr. Shintaro Chiba
Guest Editor

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