• Ron B Mitchell and James Kelly.
• Department of Surgery, University of New Mexico Health Sciences Center, Albuquerque, NM, USA. rbmitchell@vcu.edu
• Otolaryngol Head Neck Surg. 2005 May 1; 132 (5): 681-4.

ObjectiveTo study the outcome of adenotonsillectomy for obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) in children less than 3 years of age.Design And SettingProspective study at the University of New Mexico Children's Hospital. Children with OSA underwent pre- and postoperative full-night polysomnography (PSG). Scores were compared using a paired t test. A P -value <0.05 was considered significant.ResultsThe study population included 20 children. Fifteen (75 %) were male. The mean age was 2.2 years (range, 1.1 to 3.0). Sixteen (80%) children had medical comorbidities. Over 25% of children had postoperative complications including laryngospasm and marked desaturations. The mean preoperative respiratory distress index (RDI) was 34.1 and the mean postoperative RDI was 12.2 ( P < 0.0001). After surgery, 7 (35%) children had an RDI < 5. Thirteen (65%) had a postoperative RDI > or = 5 indicating persistent OSA.Conclusion And SignificanceChildren under 3 years show significant improvement in RDI after adenotonsillectomy for OSA, but they may develop complications after surgery. Postoperative PSG is recommended for children under 3 years of age to monitor the severity of persistent OSA.Ebm RatingB-2.

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