Adult obstructive sleep apnea treated with tonsillectomy: a randomized controlled clinical trial

Continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) is the standard treatment for adult obstructive sleep apnea (OSA), but adherence is often suboptimal. Surgical options, such as tonsillectomy, may be considered in selected patients.

To compare the effectiveness of tonsillectomy with lifestyle counseling in adult patients with OSA.

This randomized controlled trial included 29 patients with primarly mild to moderate OSA and BMI ≤ 35. Participants were randomly assigned to receive either lifestyle counseling (n = 17) or tonsillectomy (n = 12). In-laboratory polysomnography was performed at baseline and after one year to assess changes in OSA severity based on the apnea-hypopnea index (AHI).

The tonsillectomy group showed a statistically and clinically significant reduction in AHI, resulting in a shift in average OSA severity from moderate to mild. In contrast, the control group showed no significant change, with OSA severity remaining at a moderate level on average.

Tonsillectomy may be an effective treatment option for selected adult patients with mild to moderate OSA and no more than mild obesity. These findings support the role of tonsillectomy as a treatment alternative for patients non-adherent to conservative treatments, and may assist in individualized care of non-severe OSA.Trial registration: ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT00747890 (registered 2008-09-04).