Clinical indicators that predict the presence of moderate to severe obstructive sleep apnea after adenotonsillectomy in children

Objective

To determine if clinical indicators can predict the presence of moderate to severe Obstructive Sleep Apnea (OSA) after Adenotonsillectomy (T&A) in children.

Study Design

Retrospective study.

Setting

Urban Tertiary Care Pediatric Hospital.

Methods

Parents of children (< 18 yrs.) with OSA completed a 55-item questionnaire based on their child’s symptoms at the time of preoperative polysomnography and then again at the follow up polysomnography completed 3 to 6 months after T&A.

Main outcome measures

55 item questionnaire, polysomnography variables.

Results

97 children were included (59 Male and 38 Female). The mean preoperative apnea hypopnea index (AHI) was 30.5 ± 31.6/h and the mean postoperative AHI was 4.4 ± 6.0/h. After T&A, all 97 children had reduction in AHI, and 35 (36.1%) no longer had OSA (AHI < 1/h). The total symptom scores decreased from 15.8 ± 9.4 to 11.3 ± 8.7 after T&A (p < .0001). Fourteen symptoms highly predictive of moderate to severe OSA were identified in the univariate analysis (p < 0.1). Using a cut-point of 4, this 14-item subscale illustrated an overall predictability of 72.2% (73.7% sensitivity and 70.0% specificity) for identifying children with moderate to severe OSA.

Conclusion

A cluster of 14 clinical sleep symptoms are highly predictive of moderate to severe OSA and can serve as clinical predictor for the presence of moderate to severe OSA after T&A.     

Validation of the Greek OSD-6 quality of life questionnaire in children undergoing polysomnography

Objective

OSD-6 is a disease specific questionnaire for pediatric obstructive sleep apnea (OSA). The aims of this study were to validate OSD-6 in Greek language and correlate OSD-6 with polysomnography results.

Study design

Prospective study.

Setting

Tertiary referral center.

Subjects and methods

OSD-6 questionnaire was translated to Greek and back to English. A prospective study was conducted on children undergoing overnight polysomnography due to snoring and disrupted sleep. Test–retest evaluation was carried out. Internal consistency and test–retest reliability were evaluated. Validity was assessed by exploring correlations between OSD-6 scores and apnea–hypopnea index (AHI), and by comparing total scores of OSA and non-OSA groups. Responsiveness was assessed by comparing preoperative to postoperative total scores in OSA children who underwent adenotonsillectomy.

Results

Test–retest evaluation of 91 subjects showed good internal consistency (Cronbach’s alpha 0.860 for test and 0.873 for retest) and reliability (Pearson’s correlation coefficients between test and retest scores: 0.751–0.546; p < 0.01). Total and domains’ OSD-6 scores and AHI were significantly correlated (Spearman’s correlation coefficients: 0.277–0.630; p < 0.01), while children with OSA had higher total OSD-6 score than those without OSA (median (interquartile range): 16 (11) vs. 10 (7), respectively; p < 0.01), indicating good validity. Postoperative OSD-6 scores were significantly lower than preoperative (2.84 ± 3.21 vs. 15.42 ± 6.48, respectively; p < 0.001), suggesting good responsiveness.

Conclusion

The Greek version of the OSD-6 questionnaire proved to be a valid instrument with satisfactory internal consistency, reliability, validity and responsiveness. Furthermore, in our study OSD-6 was significantly correlated to polysomnography results.     

I’M SLEEPY: A short pediatric sleep apnea questionnaire

BackgroundPediatric obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) is a prevalent but under-diagnosed disease. The importance of screening for OSA has been emphasized in the recently published guidelines for the diagnosis and management of childhood OSA. Several pediatric OSA questionnaires are available, but are complicated to use or not sensitive enough for screening.MethodsIn this study we developed an 8-item (IF SLEEPY) screening tool for pediatric OSA. One hundred and fifty children referred for evaluation at a pediatric sleep clinic and their parents completed the questionnaire and had a polysomnography. Two further questionnaires were developed: I SLEEPY and I’M SLEEPY versions. The questionnaires’ scores were compared to the apnea hypopnea index (AHI) and the validity of each questionnaire was evaluated.ResultsThe I’M SLEEPY version was found to have the highest sensitivity (82%) and a modest specificity (50%) for OSA diagnosis.ConclusionI’M SLEEPY is a sensitive and easy-to-use screening tool for pediatric OSA. It is intended to be used by the primary physician in every suspected case of OSA. Larger studies are needed in the primary care setting for the validation of this tool.     

Questionnaire OSA-18 has poor validity compared to polysomnography in pediatric obstructive sleep apnea

Objective

To evaluate the diagnostic value of the quality-of-life instrument OSA-18 by comparing it with objective data from polysomnography in children with sleep-disordered breathing.

Study Design

Cross-sectional.

Patients and Methods

Full-night polysomnographic data were obtained from 225 subjects, 139 boys and 86 girls, median age 4.5 years (1–12) in our sleep laboratory. Their caregivers answered the OSA-18 quality-of-life instrument (range 18–126). The polysomnographic parameter, the apnea-hypopnea index (AHI) was compared with the total symptom score (TSS) and with the subscale of sleep disturbance (SD) from the OSA-18 questionnaire. Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves were created to test the predictive value of OSA-18.

Results

With the TSS of the OSA-18 at ≥60, compared with AHI levels of >1 and ≥5, the sensitivity was 55.2% and 59.3% respectively, and the specificity 40.9% and 48.4%, respectively. With the TSS > 80 and AHI levels of ≥5 and ≥10, the sensitivity was 24.6% and 32.1%, respectively. For the subscale of SD, the majority of the subjects showed poor correlation with the AHI values. The ROC area under the curve for different levels of the AHI (>1, ≥5, and ≥10) was 0.49, 0.57, and 0.56, respectively.

Conclusions

The OSA-18 questionnaire showed poor validity in detecting and predicting pediatric OSA. The majority of the children with severe OSA would not be correctly diagnosed if the OSA-18 were used as a dominant diagnostic tool.     

Paediatric adenotonsillectomy as a daycase for obstructive sleep apnoea: How we do it in a tertiary unit

Background

Paediatric adenotonsillectomy is a common ENT operation. Daycase surgery for uncomplicated, elective procedures is encouraged in order to improve efficiency in healthcare. For patients with obstructive sleep apnoea (OSA), most units advocate an overnight stay for adenotonsillectomy, a procedure usually performed as a daycase in other contexts.

Methods

A retrospective casenote review was carried out from 1st December 2011 to 1st December 2012 for all children undergoing daycase adenotonsillectomy for treatment of OSA at Bart's Children's and the Royal London Hospital.

Results

250 children underwent adenotonsillectomies for OSA as daycase procedures over twelve months. 6% had immediate, unplanned overnight admissions. 3% were readmitted within 30 days. No patients readmitted required surgical intervention.

Conclusion

For an appropriately selected child, adenotonsillectomy can be safely performed as a daycase procedure in a tertiary centre.     

Obstructive sleep apnea in younger school children with Down syndrome

Objective

We aimed to assess the prevalence of obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) in 8 year old school children with Down syndrome (DS). While the prevalence in otherwise healthy children is below 5%, the prevalence estimates in children with DS are uncertain (30–80%). OSA directly affects cognitive development and school performance.

Study design

Population based cross sectional study in a limited geographical area.

Methods

Polysomnography (PSG) with video and audio recordings was performed in 8-year-old children with DS in a pediatric sleep unit according to the guidelines of American Academy of Sleep Medicine. Twenty-nine of all 32 children with DS within a restricted area comprising >50% of the Norwegian population and 54% of the children with DS born in Norway in 2002 were enrolled.

Results

This study reports an apnea hypopnea index AHI > 1.5 in 28 of 29 children and an obstructive apnea index (OAI) > 1 in 24 of 29 children. 19 children (66%) had an AHI > 5 and 17 children (59%) had an OAI > 5 which indicated moderate to severe OSA. No correlation was found between OSA and obesity or gender.

Conclusion

The high prevalence of disease found in these previously undiagnosed 8-year-old children underlines the importance of performing OSA diagnostics in children with DS throughout childhood. These findings suggest that the prevalence of OSA remains high up to early school years. In contrast to earlier publications, this current study has the advantage of being population based, the study is performed on children of a narrow age band to estimate prevalence of disease and the diagnostic gold standard of PSG is applied.     

Efficiency of external nasal dilators in pediatric nasal septal deviation

Inroduction

Nasal septal deviation results from irregular development of the nasomaxillary complex and trauma. Treatment of nasal septal deviation in pediatric patients is one of the biggest challenges in rhinology. Surgery may alter craniofacial growth patterns, and so it may be indicated only in the selected cases. The use of external nasal dilators is a relatively new treatment modality in nasal obstruction.

Objective

This study was performed to assess the efficacy of external nasal dilator in pediatric nasal septal deviation patients.

Methods

Seventy-six children who were diagnosed with nasal septal deviation at our outpatient clinic were included in the study. The patients were divided into 2 groups: the external nasal dilator group was composed of 48 children that had used an external nasal dilator for at least 1 month and still been using, while the control group was comprised of 28 children that had not received any treatment and had not used an external nasal dilator. The parents of the children were asked to complete the obstructive sleep apnea 18 questionnaire. In addition, the external nasal dilator group was asked to complete the questionnaire after stopping external nasal dilator use for 2 weeks and the control group also repeated the obstructive sleep apnea 18 questionnaire.

Results

The obstructive sleep apnea 18 questionnaire results were significantly different between the external nasal dilator group and the control group at the beginning of the study (i.e., when patients in the external nasal dilator group were still using their dilators, P = 0.000). On the other hand, there was no difference between the 2 groups after the patients in the external nasal dilator group had stopped using their external nasal dilator (P = 0.670).

Conclusion

External nasal dilator use relieved nasal septal deviation, which narrows the nasal valve. The results of this study suggest that external nasal dilator could be used in patients that are not candidates for septoplasty.     

Comparison of treatment modalities in syndromic children with Obstructive Sleep Apnea—A randomized cohort study

Introduction

Obstructive Sleep Apnea (OSA) is a common medical problem in adults that is becoming increasingly recognized in children. It occurs in the pediatric age group, from newborns to teens. More recently, many specialists have estimated OSA prevalence to be between 5 and 6%. However, in syndromic children, the prevalence of OSA can be from 50 to 100%, having a significant effect on their Quality-of-Life. As they are a challenging population for management, it is essential to evaluate them thoroughly before planning appropriate intervention.

Objective

To compare the efficacy of Adenotonsillectomy (T&A) and Continuous Positive Airway Pressure (CPAP) in syndromic children [Down syndrome (DS) and Mucopolysaccharidoses (MPS)] with Obstructive Sleep Apnea (OSA).

Materials and methods

In a prospective, randomized, cohort comparative study, 124 syndromic children (DS and MPS) aged between 6 and 12 years were recruited from a private MPS support group and the Down Syndrome Society, Chennai. A standard assessment was performed on all children who entered the study including a full overnight Polysomnogram (PSG), Epworth Sleepiness Scale-Children (ESS-C) and Quality-of-Life (QOL) tool OSA-18. The children with positive PSG who consented for the study (n = 80) were randomly distributed to two groups, T&A group & CPAP group. The children were followed up with repeat PSG, clinical evaluation, ESS-C and Quality-of-Life (QOL) tool OSA-18 for a period of 1 year.

Observation and results

Follow-up was available for 73 syndromic children. Both the groups, T&A group and CPAP group, showed statistically significant (p < 0.05) improvement in Apnea-Hypoapnea Index (AHI), ESS-C, QOL from the intervention. In our study, T&A showed equal outcome compared to CPAP. The contrasting feature between the two groups was that CPAP use gave immediate sustained improvement while T&A gave gradual progressive improvement of symptoms over a period of 1 year.

Conclusion

On average, T&A gives equal outcomes as CPAP and it can be suggested as a first-line treatment in this group of syndromic children.     

A systematic review and meta-analysis of cohort studies of echocardiographic findings in OSA children after adenotonsilectomy

Context

There is evidence that OSA in children can be associated with acute and chronic effects on the cardiovascular system due to repetitive episodes of apnea and hypoxemia.

Objective

To assess whether there is an association between OSA and echocardiographic findings in children and whether that association persists after adenotonsillectomy.

Data sources

A literature search was conducted based on PUBMED, EMBASE and LILACS.

Study selection

Children with OSA and children who did not have OSA, who were aged ≤12 years.

Data extraction

Two reviewers extracted data independently; the risk of bias was assessed by examining the selected sample, the recruitment method, completeness of follow up, and blinding.

Results

Seven studies met all the inclusion criteria and methodological requirements. There was a significant difference with elevated mean pulmonary arterial pressure levels in OSA participants compared to those without OSA at preoperative assessment [mean difference (MD) 8.67; confidential interval (CI) 95% 6.09, 11.25]. OSA participants showed a statistically significant increased interventricular septum (IVS) thickness (mm) [MD 0.60; CI 95% 0.09, 1.11]; and right ventricular (RV) dimension (cm/m) [MD 0.19; CI 95% 0.10, 0.28]. There was also a significant increase in right ventricular (RV) dimension (cm/m) [MD 0.10; CI 95% 0.05, 0.14] in OSA children.

Conclusion

There is moderate quality evidence regarding possible association between OSA and right heart repercussions. More prognosis studies are needed, to allow the combination of results in a meta-analysis.     

Feasibility of unattended home polysomnography in children with sleep-disordered breathing

Objective

To investigate the technical feasibility of unattended polysomnography (HPSG) for diagnosis of obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) in children.

Methods

A single-night HPSG was performed on children referred to the pediatric respiratory laboratory. Non-interpretable HPSGs were defined as: recordings with (i) loss of ≥2 of the following channels: nasal flow, or thoraco-abdominal belts, or (ii) HPSG with less than 4 h of artifact-free recording time or (iii) less than 4 h SpO2 signal.

Results

Of n = 101 included HPSGs, n = 75 were ambulatory and n = 26 in hospitalized subjects. Median (minimum–maximum) age was 2.8 (0–15.4) years. Interpretable and technically acceptable recordings were obtained in 94 subjects (93%). Only 7 recordings (4 at home versus 3 in hospitalized subjects, p-value = 0.254) were classified as non-interpretable and had to be repeated. Artifact-free recording time was 461 (23–766) min. Complete artifact-free pulse oximetry signal was obtained in 14% of the included subjects. Neither age, gender, AHI, nor place of performance was significantly associated with the interpretability of recordings.

Discussion

HPSG showed a high rate of interpretability and technical acceptance. The high technical feasibility obtained by HPSG may help to improve simple screening tests for OSA in children.     

National UK survey on the assessment and surgical management of suspected paediatric obstructive sleep apnoea syndrome

Background

Controversy exists amongst ENT surgeons as to the best way to manage a non-syndromal and otherwise healthy child with suspected OSAS. In 2002, The American Association of Paediatricians stated that the gold standard is a full polysomnography (PSG) for all children with suspected OSA and the revised version in 2012 repeated that requirement but recognized that facilities are not always available. In 2009 a UK Multidisciplinary Consensus Statement disagreed and reserved a full PSG for younger and syndromal or complicated children.We undertook a survey of UK ENT surgeons before and after the UK Consensus Statement to identify common practice with regards to diagnosis and management of suspected paediatric obstructive sleep apnoea syndrome in the UK.

Method

A questionnaire based on the management of a typical clinical case was sent to 542 ENT consultants in 2005 and repeated in 2011.

Results

Less than 2% used PSG in assessing the child presented in our case study in both surveys. About 70% of respondents indicated that they would proceed with management of the child with no form of sleep study at all and this clinical practice has not changed after UK Multidisciplinary Consensus Statement. The majority would treat a child with possible OSAS and no co-morbidities with adenotonsillectomy as an inpatient.

Discussion

The availability of paediatric PSG is very limited and because of a lack of normative data, uncertainty about interpretation of abnormal results, the recognition that even moderate snoring without sleep apnoea has detrimental neuro-cognitive effects and the fact that adenotonsillectomy is a very effective treatment for paediatric OSA we felt that a pragmatic and safe approach was to treat selected patients as if they had a positive PSG with appropriate anaesthetic technique and post operative care and monitoring.     

Quality of life after adenotonsillectomy for children with sleep-disordered breathing: A linear mixed model analysis

Objective

To study changes in quality of life (QoL) after adenotonsillectomy (T&A) in children with sleep-disordered breathing (SDB), and to elucidate discrepancies in QoL improvements after T&A in children of different gender, age, adiposity status, and disease severity.

Materials and methods

Children aged 2–18 years were recruited. All children had SDB-related symptoms and underwent preoperative full-night polysomnography (PSG). Caregivers completed the first obstructive sleep apnea 18-items questionnaire (OSA-18) prior to T&A and the second OSA-18 survey within 3 months after surgery. Disease severity was defined as primary snoring (apnea/hypopnea index, AHI < 1), mild obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) (5 > AHI ≥1), and moderate-to-severe OSA (AHI ≥ 5). Discrepancies in OSA-18 score changes after T&A for different groups were assessed using the linear mixed model.

Results

In total, 144 children were enrolled (mean age, 7.0 ± 3.6 years; 76% boy). The OSA-18 total score changes after surgery were not significantly different by gender (boys vs. girls), age group (≥6 years vs. <6 years), or adiposity (obese vs. non-obese). The OSA-18 total score changes after surgery differed by disease severity (primary snoring vs. moderate-to-severe OSA, P = 0.004; mild OSA vs. moderate-to-severe OSA, P = 0.003). Children with moderate-to-severe OSA had greater improvement in OSA-18 total score after surgery than those with mild OSA or primary snoring.

Conclusions

Children with SDB had QoL improvement after T&A, as documented by OSA-18 score changes. The QoL improvement after T&A for SDB children increased as disease severity increased, and the improvement was not affected by gender, age, or adiposity.     

Routine post-operative intensive care is not necessary for children with obstructive sleep apnea at high risk after adenotonsillectomy

Objectives

Post-operative respiratory adverse events (AE) are frequent in children having adenotonsillectomy (AT) for obstructive sleep apnea (OSA). Many hospitals have a policy of routine admission to the intensive care unit (ICU) after surgery for children at highest risk. We aimed to determine the frequency and severity of post-operative AE in children admitted to ICU, to assess the appropriateness of this care plan.

Methods

A retrospective chart review was carried out all children admitted to the pediatric intensive care unit after AT for OSA from January 2007 to December 2009. AE were classified as mild, including requirement for supplemental O₂ or repositioning to improve airway or severe, including bag and mask ventilation, CPAP, re-intubation, placement of oropharyngeal airway or unplanned ICU admission for airway compromise.

Results

72 children were identified (21 female, median age 2.8 years). There were 29 AE in 26 patients (36%), including 23 (31.9%) who suffered a mild AE and 6 (8.3%) who had a severe AE. Age, sex, the presence of co-morbidity or the presence of severe OSA did not predict severe AE in this group. Median time to first AE was 165 min. Four of the six severe AE occurred in the post-anesthetic care unit (PACU). There were 60 children who did not have an AE in PACU, of whom 59 did not have a severe AE in the post-operative period, giving a negative predictive value for no worse than a mild AE following an uncomplicated course in PACU of 98.3%.

Conclusions

Our data confirm high rates of AE after AT for high risk patients, however, only 8% suffered a severe AE truly necessitating care in ICU. This outcome was very unlikely if an AE did not occur in PACU. We therefore conclude that routine post-operative ICU care for high risk children may be avoided if prolonged monitoring in the PACU is possible, with admission to ICU reserved for high-risk children with an early AE.     

Pectus excavatum in children with laryngomalacia

Background

Laryngomalacia is the most common congenital laryngeal anomaly and is associated with several disorders including gastric reflux, sleep apnea, hypotonia and failure to thrive. Pectus excavatum (PE) is the most common chest wall deformity affecting 1–300/1000 individuals. Though many authors presume a relationship between PE and laryngomalacia, there is no published data to establish this association.

Goal

To test the hypothesis that patients referred to our pediatric otolaryngology clinic for evaluation of laryngomalacia exhibit higher rates of PE than the general population.

Methods

Retrospective review of prospectively enrolled children who presented with laryngomalacia (January 2008–June 2012) to a tertiary care, hospital based, pediatric otolaryngology practice. Each chart was examined for a concurrent diagnosis of pectus deformity.

Results

Of the 137 laryngomalacia patients, 9 (6.6%) had documented PE. This represents a significantly increased rate of PE when compared to children without laryngomalacia (p = 0.001). Four of the 9 children with PE underwent supraglottoplasty for laryngomalacia, a significantly greater proportion than the 9/128 of the children with isolated laryngomalacia who underwent supraglottoplasty (p = 0.004).

Conclusions

This study suggests an association between laryngomalacia and PE. Pediatric otolaryngologists should be cognizant of this relationship, though further studies are needed to elucidate the nature of this association.     

Velopharyngeal dysfunction in children with Prader-Willi syndrome after adenotonsillectomy

Introduction

Prader-Willi syndrome (PWS) is a rare genetic disorder with an incidence rate of 1 in 10,000–30,000. Patients with PWS typically have symptoms related to hypotonia, obesity, and hypothalamic dysfunction. A high rate of obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) is found among this population of patients. Adenotonsillectomy has been advocated as a first line approach for treatment of OSA in patients with PWS. Velopharyngeal dysfunction (VPD) is a known complication of adenotonsillectomy. VPD can also be present in patients with global hypotonia, such as those with PWS. The objective of this study is to review the occurrence of VPD in patients with PWS after adenotonsillectomy for OSA.

Methods

A retrospective review was performed of all patients with PWS and OSA from a tertiary pediatric hospital between the years of 2002 and 2012. Pre- and post-operative sleep studies and sleep disordered breathing symptoms, post-operative VPD assessment by the speech-language pathologist (SLP), and VPD treatments were evaluated.

Results

Eleven patients (five males and six females), fitting the inclusion criteria, were identified. The age of the patient at the initial otolaryngologic evaluation ranged from 2 to 9 years. All patients underwent adenotonsillectomy for sleep disordered breathing. Four patients were diagnosed with post-operative hypernasality after assessment by a speech-language pathologist. The hypernasality ranged from mild to moderately severe. Of the four patients with hypernasality, two were found to have structural issues requiring surgery (pharyngeal flap). Both of the surgical patients experienced significant improvement in their VPD after surgery. The remaining two patients were found to have articulation error patterns that were considered more developmental in nature and both responded to speech therapy. All patients, except one, had improvement in their polysomnogram or sleep symptoms after adenotonsillectomy. However, three patients continue to require continuous positive airway pressure at night.

Conclusion

Velopharyngeal dysfunction may occur after adenotonsillectomy in patients with Prader-Willi Syndrome. Families should be counseled of this risk and the potential need for operative intervention to correct it.     

Tobacco intervention teachable moments for pediatric otolaryngologists: Atopy and second hand smoke exposure among children

Objectives

Pediatric otolaryngology clinics have tremendous access to children with allergic conditions, yet no research has evaluated in this setting environmental tobacco smoke and the occurrence of atopic diseases.

Methods

Caregivers or parents of 201 consecutive patients in a Hungarian pediatric otolaryngology clinic were queried on otolaryngologic conditions; self-reported diagnoses of atopic diseases; and tobacco smoke exposure.

Results

A history of asthma was reported in 10.3% of children; 38.7% had at least one parent who smoked. Fifteen out of the 20 children with asthma (75.0%) had at least one parent who smoked. Having a diagnosis of hay fever and having a parent who smoked greatly increased the odds of having a diagnosis of asthma.

Conclusions

Second hand smoke exposure among children in an otolaryngology clinic was common, and was associated with co-existing atopic conditions. Pediatric otolaryngologists have an important opportunity to address parental smoking as part their care of children.     

Is day stay adenotonsillectomy safe in children with mild to moderate obstructive sleep apnoea? A retrospective review of 100 patients

Objective

This study explored the perioperative course of 100 children with polysomnogram (PSG) proven mild to moderate OSA to evaluate if day stay adenotonsillectomy is safe.

Methods

A retrospective chart review of patients who had undergone tonsillectomy with or without adenoidectomy following an overnight PSG at The Children's Hospital at Westmead Sleep Laboratory. 263 records were reviewed. Patients with apnoea hypopnea index (AHI) ≥1 and <15/h and/or a final sleep study report of mild to moderate OSA were included. Exclusion criteria were age <3 years, weight <10 kg, or any significant co-morbidities or other surgery that would preclude day stay surgery. Demographic, PSG and post-operative data was analyzed.

Results

No major respiratory complications occurred. No patient required an unplanned medical review for respiratory concerns, or admission to a high care facility. Eleven children left recovery with oxygen prescribed. One child had a desaturation to 88% in recovery, and one child had laryngospasm. The nine other children required oxygen to maintain saturation >90%.Supplemental oxygen was prescribed to 7 patients on the ward. Of these, three patients received supplemental oxygen beyond 6 h. The other 97 patients had an uncomplicated post-operative course and would have been suitable for day-stay surgery. Increasing severity of OSA grade on pre-operative PSG was significantly associated with post-operative supplemental oxygen use (p = 0.003; Cochrane-Armitage test for trend).

Conclusions

Children who are otherwise well with mild to moderate OSA have a sufficiently low risk of respiratory complications following adenotonsillectomy to permit day-stay surgery in the setting of appropriate facilities with careful post-operative monitoring for the first 6 h to identify a small sub-group who require overnight observations.     

Sensitivity of ABR based newborn screening with the MB11 BERAphone

Objectives

The aim of this study is to evaluate the sensitivity of our hearing screening program. The evaluation was done using a questionnaire for parents of children who participated in the NHS for a targeted time frame of two years. A survey was accomplished to identify children who passed our screening protocol in the newborn period, but who were later identified to have hearing loss.

Methods

For the survey a one-year cohort was established in 2008 which included 500 children who received a hearing screening at our Center with the ABR newborn screener, MB11 BERAphone^®, two years before. Two hearing questionnaires were chosen for the survey. The LittlEARS questionnaire (MED-EL Medical Electronics GmbH) for investigating the hearing behavior of the children during the first two years of life and a second, custom-developed questionnaire (Würzburger questionnaire) investigating some aspects which are not included in the LittlEARS tool, such as speech/language development, general development as well as pathological factors that might eventually lead to a temporary hearing loss.

Results

Analysis of the Würzburger questionnaires revealed normal speech development for 92.9% of the children. For 4.7% male and 2.4% female children delayed speech development was reported. Although twice as many males were found, the statistical comparison showed no significant difference according to gender. The results of the LittlEARS questionnaire are identical to those of the Würzburger questionnaire in 98.3% of the investigated cases and in 1.7% of the cases slightly different results but on borderline: The LittlEAR scores showed normal auditory development for the childrens’ age but the Würzburger questionnaire results showed delayed speech development.

Conclusions

Based on the follow-up analysis and the results from the two questionnaires, no permanent hearing loss was found in any child two years after they passed the newborn hearing screening. Thus, we conclude that the sensitivity of the screening test was 100%, based on survey results 2 years post screening.     

Limited palatal muscle resection with tonsillectomy: A novel palatopharyngoplasty technique for obstructive sleep apnea

Objective

The ideal palatal surgery for obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) and snoring must maintain the airway patency and correct anatomic abnormalities without complications. The purpose of this study was to investigate the efficacy of limited palatal muscle resection (LPMR) to improve OSA severity.

Subjects and methods

Twenty-three patients with OSA underwent LPMR. The LPMR was initiated with a bilateral tonsillectomy in patients with tonsil size 2 and 3. The LPMR consisted of partial resection of palatal muscles (levator veli palatini, palatoglossus, and musculus uvulae) with preservation of the uvula and a simple double layer suturing. The retropalatal space and the length of soft palate were evaluated by magnetic resonance imaging. Subjective outcomes using visual analog scales, Epworth Sleepiness Scale, and overnight polysomnography (PSG) data were assessed.

Results

Six months after the operation, there was significant symptomatic improvement in snoring, morning headaches, tiredness, and daytime sleepiness. Postoperative magnetic resonance images showed upward and forward movement of uvula and soft palate after LPMR. The length of the soft palate was significantly shortened and the retropalatal space was significantly increased. Postoperative PSG revealed significant improvement in apnea–hypopnea index (AHI) and the total sleep time spent with oxygen saturation below 90%, and reduction in AHI following PMR was found in all patients. Furthermore, no patient experienced velopharyngeal insufficiency, voice changes, and pharyngeal dryness at 6 months follow-up.

Conclusions

The LPMR obtained significant improvement in subjective and objective outcomes in OSA, with preserved pharyngeal function. PMR is an effective and safe technique to treat oropharyngeal obstruction in OSA surgery.     

Effects of adeno-tonsillectomy on polysomnography patterns in Down syndrome children with obstructive sleep apnea: A comparative study with children without Down syndrome

Objective

To determine if adeno-tonsillectomy (T&A) in children with Down syndrome (DS) improves breathing, measured by apnea hypopnea index (AHI), rapid eye movement AHI (REM-AHI) and the lowest oxygen desaturation (SaO₂), and sleep disruption, measured by arousal index (ArI) and time spent in stages 1-4 and rapid eye movement (REM) sleep and compare these results with a group of non-DS children with obstructive sleep apnea (OSA).

Study design

Retrospective chart review at pediatric sleep center.

Patients

Eleven DS and nine non-DS children underwent pre- and post-T&A polysomnography between 1997 and 2005.

Outcome measures

Pre- and post-T&A polysomnography parameters were compared using paired t-test and independent samples test.

Results

Mean age in DS group was 101 months and non-DS group was 80 months (64% males in DS and 88% in non-DS group). The average BMI was 29.8 and 27.6 for DS and non-DS group. The total AHI showed significant improvement after T&A but this was not as marked as the non-DS group. REM-AHI and lowest SaO₂ did not show significant change in the DS children. The non-DS group showed significant improvement in all respiratory parameters. Both groups showed mild improvement in sleep parameters. With the modest overall improvement, 27% of the DS children required no further treatment. However, 73% required CPAP, BiPAP or oxygen for persistent OSA.

Conclusion

This study supports the fact that T&A in DS children improves some parameters of OSA, however not as markedly as in non-DS children.