Sleep medicine for surgeons.

Abstract

Sleep medicine is an important component of current head and neck surgery practices. Furthermore, obstructive sleep apnea is an anatomic disease of the upper respiratory tract, a region of anatomy best known to head and neck surgeons. If head and neck surgeons choose to participate in the surgical treatment of sleep apnea, they must develop expertise in the evaluation and home sleep testing aspects of sleep apnea. Because positive airway pressure remains the front line treatment, they must also develop expertise in the prescription of positive airway pressure therapy.