Endoscope-assisted adenoidectomy in children with obstructive sleep apnea-hypopnea syndrome

Objective:To evaluate the clinical effect of ednoscope-assisted adenoidectomy in children with obstructive sleep apnea-hypopnea syndrome(OSAHS).Methods:Forty children of OSAHS underwent tonsillectomy and /or endoscope-assisted adenoidectomy and were followed up between 6 to 12 months after the operation.Pediatric OSA disease-specific Quality-of-Life Questionnaire(OSA-18) was used to evaluate the efficacy regarding the life quality of the patients 4 weeks before the surgery and 6 to 12 months after the procedure,apart from determination of the relationship between OSA-18 scores and ratio of adenoid-nasopharynx.Results:OSAHS severely affected 25% of the children with their quality of life,and yet,87.50% of them were improved greatly after the surgery.Still,the ratio of adenoid-nasopharynx was positively associated with the pre-operative scores by OSA-18.Conclusion:Tonsillectomy and/or endoscope-assisted adenoidectomy may be effective and recommended in treatment of children with OSAHS due to its shortened duration of the procedure,easy performance and fewer complications.