Evaluation of adenotonsillectomy and tonsillectomy for pediatric obstructive sleep apnea by rhinomanometry and the OSA-18 questionnaire

AbstractConclusion: Nasal resistance and the OSA-18 score were useful for evaluating surgical treatments. The sleep disturbance score may also be useful for predicting the severity of obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) in children. Objective: We evaluated the effect of surgery on children with OSA using polysomnography (PSG) parameters, nasal resistance, and the OSA-18 questionnaire, and also investigated the cut-off OSA-18 score to screen for pediatric OSA. Methods: This was a retrospective study in which PSG parameters and nasal resistance were measured using a rhinomanometer and the OSA-18 score was obtained from the OSA-18 questionnaire before and after surgery in 45 children with OSA. Results: The mean age of the 45 patients was 5.7 ± 2.0 years. The mean value of the obstructive apnea hypopnea index (O-AHI) improved from 16.2 ± 14.3/h before surgery to 1.1 ± 1.7/h after surgery, the mean nasal resistance improved from 0.44 ± 0.19 to 0.32 ± 0.10 Pa/cm3/s, and the mean OSA-18 score improved from 61.1 ± 13.7...