Large Eddy Simulation of the pharyngeal airflow associated with Obstructive Sleep Apnea Syndrome at pre and post-surgical treatment

► Abnormal pharyngeal airflow dynamics associated with severe sleep apnea are exposed using LES. ► Flow separation, recirculation regions, and large fluctuations in the flow variables are found. ► Post-operatively, the flow field instabilities vanished. ► Both the airway resistance and wall shear stress values were significantly reduced after surgery. ► Such computational technique may be beneficial as post-operative follow-up instrument.