Post Surgical Outcomes in Paediatric Adenotonsillar Hypertrophy with Obstructive Sleep Apnea: Subjective and

Ravi Roy1, Sween Banger1, S K Singh2

  • 1Department of ENT HNS, Army Hospital Research and Referral, New Delhi, 110010 India.

Insights

Pediatric adenotonsillar hypertrophy with obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) significantly improves after surgery, as shown by portable polysomnography (PSG) and quality of life scores. The OSA 18 questionnaire is a viable alternative for monitoring outcomes when PSG is unavailable.

Area of Science:

  • Pediatric Otolaryngology
  • Sleep Medicine
  • Respiratory Medicine

Background:

  • Adenotonsillar hypertrophy is a common cause of obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) in children.
  • Surgical intervention is the primary treatment for pediatric OSA due to adenotonsillar hypertrophy.
  • Assessing post-surgical outcomes requires objective and subjective measures.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To evaluate post-surgical outcomes in pediatric patients with adenotonsillar hypertrophy and OSA.
  • To compare objective polysomnography (PSG) findings with subjective OSA 18 questionnaire scores.
  • To assess the impact of surgery on quality of life (QoL) in these children.

Main Methods:

  • A prospective, single-arm study involving 30 children aged 3-12 years with symptomatic adenotonsillar hypertrophy and suspected OSA.
  • Portable polysomnography (PSG) and the OSA 18 questionnaire were administered pre- and 6 weeks post-surgery.
  • Statistical analysis using the Wilcoxon signed rank test was performed to assess changes in PSG indices, OSA 18 scores, and QoL.

Main Results:

  • Significant improvement was observed in the apnea-hypopnea index (AHI), respiratory disturbance index (RDI), and oxygen desaturation index (ODI) post-surgery (p < 0.05).
  • Total symptom scores (TSS) and QoL scores also showed statistically significant improvements post-treatment (p < 0.05).
  • No significant correlation was found between PSG and OSA 18 questionnaire scores pre- or post-surgery.

Conclusions:

  • Surgery effectively improves objective sleep apnea metrics and subjective QoL in children with adenotonsillar hypertrophy and OSA.
  • Portable PSG is valuable for objectively monitoring treatment effectiveness.
  • The OSA 18 questionnaire serves as a suitable alternative for outcome assessment when PSG is not feasible.

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