Polysomnography outcomes in children with small tonsils undergoing drug‐induced sleep endoscopy–directed surgery

Objectives/Hypothesis

The optimal surgical treatment to improve sleep apnea in children with small tonsils is not known. Drug‐induced sleep endoscopy (DISE) may be useful in selecting effective surgical procedures for this patient population. This study compared polysomnography (PSG) measures before and after DISE‐directed surgery in children with small tonsils. We hypothesize that DISE‐directed surgery improves PSG measures in children with small tonsils. We also aimed to identify the most common surgery performed in this population.

Study Design

Retrospective chart review.

Methods

A retrospective review was performed of subjects who underwent DISE at a single pediatric tertiary care center over a 6‐year period. Inclusion criteria were 1+ tonsils and PSG performed before and after DISE‐directed surgery. Exclusion criteria were previous tonsillectomy and tonsils score 2+ or greater. Pre‐ and postoperative PSG parameters were compared using paired t tests.

Results

Average age was 7 ± 4 years old at the time of surgery. The most common DISE‐directed intervention was supraglottoplasty (n = 23). DISE‐directed surgery significantly improved mean apnea‐hypopnea index (AHI) from 14.4 to 8.0 (P = .02). Although improvements were seen in mean obstructive AHI (12.5 to 5.5), O₂ nadir (87.0 to 88.3), and ODI (10.6 to 5.8), these measures did not reach statistical significance.

Conclusions

DISE‐directed surgery significantly improves AHI in children with small tonsils. The most common intervention performed on these children was supraglottoplasty. Interestingly, adenotonsillectomy was rarely performed in this cohort. Additionally, supraglottic collapse, prompting supraglottoplasty, is difficult to accurately assess in an awake child, supporting use of a DISE‐directed approach in this patient population.

Level of Evidence

4 Laryngoscope, 2018

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