title: Outcome of adenotonsillectomy for obstructive sleep apnea in children under 3 years.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To study the outcome of adenotonsillectomy for obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) in children less than 3 years of age.
  
  
  METHODS
  Prospective 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.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The 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.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Children 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.
  
  
  METHODS
  B-2.
authors.affiliation: Department of Surgery, University of New Mexico Health Sciences Center, Albuquerque, NM, USA. rbmitchell@vcu.edu
authors.forename: Ron B
authors.initials: RB
authors.lastname: Mitchell
authors.forename: James
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Kelly
mesh_terms: D000233:Adenoidectomy; D002675:Child, Preschool; D015897:Comorbidity; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D007902:Length of Stay; D008297:Male; D011446:Prospective Studies; D020181:Sleep Apnea, Obstructive / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000601:surgery*; D014068:Tonsillectomy; D016896:Treatment Outcome