The most commonly performed surgical procedure requiring general anesthesia in the pediatric population is myringotomy and placement of pressure equalizing tubes in the middle ear. It is performed in otherwise healthy children with chronic middle ear fluid collections and infections. In these cases, general anesthesia is accomplished by inhalation of a volatile anesthetic gas, which induces unconsciousness and analgesia for the approximately 10 minutes it takes to perform the procedure. A requirement of the procedure is lateral neck rotation by the anesthesiologist managing the airway. This enhances surgical visibility (Fig 1). However, a well-known clinical consequence of lateral neck rotation is development of upper airway obstruction with subsequent hypoxemia.1 Anesthesiologists routinely counteract this problem by placement of an oral airway device or application of CPAP, or both. Nevertheless, intervening hypoxia often necessitates temporary halting of the procedure and resumption of the neutral neck position until hypoxemia abates. This study will determine the anatomical mechanism for upper airway obstruction during lateral neck rotation and will elucidate the effects of administration of CPAP on this obstruction.