Abstract
Obstructive sleep apnea hypopnea syndrome (OSAHS) in children is now well known to disturb physical and mental development, and therefore children with severe OSAHS should be treated appropriately. Since the efficacy of adenotonsillectomy in children has been widely reported, this surgical procedure is recognized as an effective therapeutic intervention. However, little attention has been paid to its safety, especially in infants and young children, and so surgery for such cases has tended to be avoided. In the present study, we reviewed charts of 147 cases of OSAHS children who had undergone adenotonsillectomy regarding the duration of surgery, the amount of intraoperative bleeding, the incidence of postoperative respiratory complications and postoperative bleeding, and the duration of hospital stay.
As a result, the duration of surgery and the amount of bleeding in the younger group (0-3 years old) were statistically less than those in the older group (4-6 years old) in adenoidectomy (p < 0.01). There was no statistical difference between the two groups in the incidence of postoperative bleeding (8% vs. 4%) or abnormal shadows in the postoperative chest X-ray (18% vs. 11%). No difference was found also in the duration of hospital stay (8.4 days vs. 8.4 days).
In conclusion, adenotonsillectomy in infants and young children can be performed without major perioperative complications, and is considered an appropriate treatment for OSAHS.
