The specific characteristics in children with obstructive sleep apnea and cor pulmonale.
BACKGROUND
The prevalence of obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) in the pediatric population is currently estimated at 1-2% of all children. The purpose of this study was to investigate the clinical and hemodynamic characteristics in pediatric patients with cor pulmonale and OSA.


METHODS
Thirty children with the diagnosis of OSA were included. These patients consisted of 26 male and 4 female children with a mean age of 7 ± 4 years old. Five of those children were found to be associated with cor pulmonale, and 25 had OSA but without cor pulmonale.


RESULTS
The arousal index was much higher in children with OSA and cor pulmonale. The children with OSA and cor pulmonale had much lower mean and minimal oxygen saturation and a higher incidence of bradycardia events. All 5 patients with OSA and cor pulmonale underwent an adenotonsillectomy, and the pulmonary arterial pressure dropped significantly after the surgery.


CONCLUSIONS
This study demonstrated that the OSA pediatric patients with cor pulmonale had the different clinical manifestations and hemodynamic characteristics from those without cor pulmonale. The adenotonsillectomy had excellent results in both the OSA pediatric patients with and without cor pulmonale.
Division of Pediatric Cardiology, Departments of Pediatrics, National Yang-Ming University and Taipei Veterans General Hospital, No 201 Sec 2, Shih-Pai Road, Taipei 112, Taiwan. pichang lee@yahoo.com
Pi-Chang
PC
Lee
Betau
B
Hwang
Wen-Jue
WJ
Soong
C C Laura
CC
Meng
D000233:Adenoidectomy / Q000379:methods; D000293:Adolescent; D001919:Bradycardia / Q000150:complications; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D004452:Echocardiography / Q000379:methods; D004562:Electrocardiography / Q000379:methods; D005260:Female; D006439:Hemodynamics; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D017286:Polysomnography / Q000379:methods; D011660:Pulmonary Heart Disease / Q000150:complications* / Q000175:diagnosis*; D012307:Risk Factors; D020181:Sleep Apnea, Obstructive / Q000150:complications* / Q000175:diagnosis*; D014068:Tonsillectomy / Q000379:methods