• Eduard Esteller Moré, Paola Santos Acosta, Francesc Segarra Isern, Roser Lopez Diu, Eusebi Matiño Soler, Joan Manel Ademà Alcover, and Eduard Estivill Sancho.
• Servicio de Otorrinolaringología, Hospital General de Catalunya, San Cugat del Vallès, Barcelona, España. Esteller@gmail.com
• Acta Otorrinolaringol Esp. 2012 Mar 1; 63 (2): 85-92.

IntroductionTreatment of obstructive sleep apnoea-hypopnoea syndrome in children with adenotonsillectomy is effective but has a moderate rate of persistent disease.ObjectivesTo analyse the rate of persistence of sleep apnoea-hypopnoea syndrome in a group of adenotonsillectomy-treated paediatric patients and to assess the possible prognostic factors.MethodsProspective study of 80 patients aged between 2 and 13 years who had obstructive sleep apnoea-hypopnoea syndrome, treated with adenotonsillectomy. All patients had been followed up clinically and by polysomnography for 1 year after surgery. We analysed the epidemiological and clinical factors that could negatively affect the outcome of surgery.ResultsThe median age was 5.25 ± 2.05 years and the mean apnoea-hypopnoea index (AHI) was 8.13 ± 6.06. One year after surgery, all clinical parameters improved significantly and the mean AHI was 2.50. Persistent disease (AHI≥3) was present in 21 of the patients (26.3%). The comparative analysis of clinical and epidemiological factors between the group of non-persistence and persistence did not obtain statistically-significant differences in age, sex, tonsillar size, Friedman degree or severity of preoperative disease. The only significant factor was that patients without persistence were more obese.ConclusionThe results of our study about the persistence of obstructive sleep apnoea-hypopnoea syndrome after adenotonsillectomy are significant enough to recommend follow-up with polysomnography, especially in high-risk groups. In the series presented here, we were not able to demonstrate these risk factors. Our results are probably conditioned by the characteristics of the population studied: Low age, low obesity rate and less severe levels of apnoea-hypopnoea index.Copyright © 2011 Elsevier España, S.L. All rights reserved.

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