[Therapeutic results of respiratory disturbance during sleep in children]

We retrospectively analyzed 72 children suffering from respiratory disturbance during sleep at Mie University Hospital for sleep study or surgical treatment from 1992 to 2001. Their clinical symptoms included snoring (100% of 72 inpatients), sleep apnea (60%), mouth breathing (44%), and nasal obstruction (30%). Forty-seven reported sleep apnea and 28 (60% of total) corresponded to criteria for the sleep apnea syndrome (apnea index: AI > or = 5.0). These symptoms were caused by adenoid vegetation and/or hypertrophy of the palatine tonsils. No significant correlation was seen among size of the adenoid, that of the palatine tonsil, body mass index, AI, and blood oxygen saturation (SpO2) during sleep. Surgical treatment with adenotomy and/or tonsillectomy was performed in 66 patients. After treatment, clinical symptoms diminished within a week, and AI and SpO2 during sleep improved significantly. Recurrence of snoring was observed 19, 23, and 21% of patients 1, 3, and 5 years after treatment. Sleep apnea recurred in only 1 patient 7 years after adenotomy. Seventy-five percent of children who had the clinical symptoms 1 month after treatment have shown the same symptoms continuously for a long time. In conclusion, surgical treatment for children's respiratory disturbance during sleep is effective and involves a low rate of symptom recurrence.