[Obstructive sleep apnea syndrome and hypertrophic tonsils in infants].
BACKGROUND
Even if failure to thrive in infants suffering from obstructive sleep apnea syndrome (OSAS) due to hypertrophic tonsils is well documented in the literature, the surgical act is often delayed due to the lack of diagnostic evidence.


METHODS
We report three cases which share the common characteristic of age of onset, tonsillar hypertrophy, growth retardation and growth catch-up after tonsillectomy. Authors emphasize the importance of clinical diagnosis as a sufficient tool in making the decision of surgery, thus avoiding unnecessary and expensive investigations.


CONCLUSIONS
The diagnosis of OSAS in infants and children is essentially clinical, depending mainly on a history provided by the parents, laying stress on nocturnal symptoms and clinical examination. Growth retardation is frequent in this syndrome and should be systematically sought. Tonsillectomy, which is effective in relieving respiratory manifestations, also allows growth recovery.
Nimubona
L
L
Service de réanimation pédiatrique, CHU, hôpital Georges-Clemenceau, Caen, France.
Jokic
M
M
Moreau
S
S
Brouard
J
J
Guillois
B
B
Lecacheux
C
C
D017668:Age of Onset; D003937:Diagnosis, Differential; D005183:Failure to Thrive; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D006965:Hyperplasia; D007223:Infant; D008297:Male; D014066:Palatine Tonsil / Q000473:pathology* / Q000601:surgery; D020181:Sleep Apnea, Obstructive / Q000150:complications / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000601:surgery; D014068:Tonsillectomy; D016896:Treatment Outcome