Factors Influencing Intrapulmonary AIrway Calibre During Anaesthesia

Intrapulmonary airway calibre is influenced by several factors, most important of which are: intrinsic tone of the smooth muscle, the presence or absence of oedema of the airway wall, and secretions in the airway lumen.This review will focus on mechanisms controlling airway tone in the absence and presence of drugs commonly used in anaesthesia, and on methods of measuring airway calibre during anaesthesia.