title: Respiratory polygraphy for follow-up of obstructive sleep apnea in children.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  (1) To evaluate the effectiveness of adenotonsillectomy for the treatment of Obstructive Sleep Apnea Hypopnea Syndrome (OSAHS) in children. (2) To evaluate the usefulness of respiratory polygraphy (RP) for controlling post-adenotonsillectomy effects.
  
  
  METHODS
  The children studied were referred to the Burgos Sleep Unit (SU) with clinical suspicion of OSAHS before undergoing adenotonsillectomy. For all patients, a clinical history was taken and a general physical examination, as well as a specific ear, nose, and throat examination was done. RP before adenotonsillectomy, and seven months afterwards, was also done. OSAHS was diagnosed if the Apnea Hypopnea Index (AHI) was ≥ 4.6.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Of the 100 children studied, 68 were male and 32 female, with an age of 4.17 ± 2.05 years. Using RP, 86 of them were diagnosed with OSAHS before undergoing adenotonsillectomy. There was a significant improvement in all clinical and polygraphic variables after adenotonsillectomy. The pre and post surgery AHI index was 11.9 ± 11.0 and 2.6 ± 1.5, respectively, with a significant mean difference (9.4 ± 10.9, p<0.01). The residual OSAHS was 11.6% (CI 95%: 4.3-19%).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Respiratory polygraphy is a useful tool for monitoring the effectiveness of surgical treatment and the detection of residual OSAHS in children with adenotonsillar hypertrophy.
authors.affiliation: Sleep Unit, Complejo Asistencial Universitario de Burgos, Burgos, Spain. mlalonso@hgy.es
authors.forename: María Luz
authors.initials: ML
authors.lastname: Alonso-Álvarez
authors.forename: Ana Isabel
authors.initials: AI
authors.lastname: Navazo-Egüia
authors.forename: José Aurelio
authors.initials: JA
authors.lastname: Cordero-Guevara
authors.forename: Estrella
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Ordax-Carbajo
authors.forename: Gregorio
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: De La Mata
authors.forename: José Luis
authors.initials: JL
authors.lastname: Barba-Cermeño
authors.forename: Joaquin
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Terán-Santos
mesh_terms: D000233:Adenoidectomy; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D016015:Logistic Models; D008297:Male; D008991:Monitoring, Physiologic / Q000379:methods; D017286:Polysomnography / Q000379:methods*; D011183:Postoperative Complications / Q000175:diagnosis*; D011237:Predictive Value of Tests; D011446:Prospective Studies; D012008:Recurrence; D012891:Sleep Apnea Syndromes / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000601:surgery*; D014068:Tonsillectomy