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RESEARCH

Upper Airway Structure and Function

This group was established at the end of 2005, and is headed by Professor Peter Cistulli. The research programme broadly covers the structure and function of the upper airway in the context of sleep-disordered breathing and the implications for diagnosis and treatment modalities. The therapeutic research programme is focused on the use of mandibular advancement devices (oral devices worn during sleep to protrude the lower jaw) to treat OSA, as an alternative to CPAP therapy. Professor Cistulli and his group ’ s earlier published work has proven that this treatment modality is efficacious in a substantial number of patients, but not all. A number of projects are aimed at identifying more clinically useful predictors of treatment outcome by undertaking detailed evaluations of upper airway structure (using MRI scans) and function (using resistance and flow-volume measurements) and examining the response of the airway to mandibular advancement. The group is currently undertaking a large randomised controlled trial of oral appliance versus CPAP in OSA. From a diagnostic point of view, a research programme on craniofacial phenotypic modelling in OSA, using novel digital photographic techniques and analyses, has commenced. In addition, the potential role of the Forced Oscillation Technique in the diagnosis of upper airway dysfunction in sleep-disordered breathing is a new area of research.

Professor Peter Cistulli
Research Leader
P +61 2 9926 7807
E cistullip@med.usyd.edu.au