• Jaime Luís Freitas Arrarte, José Faibes Lubianca Neto, and Gilberto Bueno Fischer.
• Federal University of Rio Grande do Sul, School of Medicine, Porto Alegre, RS, Brazil. macjames@terra.com.br
• J Bras Pneumol. 2007 Jan 1;33(1):62-8.

ObjectiveTo evaluate the effect of adenotonsillectomy on oxygen saturation measured through nocturnal pulse oximetry in children with sleep disordered breathing.MethodsA pre- and post-intervention study was carried out using nocturnal pulse oximetry. The study involved 31 children who were suspected of having sleep disordered breathing and had been referred for adenotonsillectomy.ResultsA total of 27 children completed the study. The mean age was 5.2 +/- 1.8 years, and 18 (66.7%) of them were male. Upon physical examination, 23 (85.2%) of the children presented class III or class IV hyperplasia of the palatine tonsils. There was significant improvement in the post-operative period over the pre-operative period in terms of the oxygen desaturation rate (OR = 0.65; 95% CI: 0.5-1.3 vs. OR = 1.63; 95% CI: 1.1-2.4; p < 0.001).ConclusionAdenotonsillectomy significantly improved oxygen saturation, as measured through nocturnal pulse oximetry, in children with sleep disordered breathing.

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