RANCHO MIRAGE, CALIF. – Adenotonsillectomy significantly improved the quality of life, daytime sleepiness, and daytime and nighttime breathing of children with obstructive sleep apnea, but it did not change their behavior, concentration, or school performance, parents reported to Canadian researchers.
Dr. Evelyn Constantin and associates in the departments of pediatrics and psychiatry at Montreal Children's Hospital and McGill University, Montreal, asked parents to assess many aspects of their children's function and behavior before, immediately after, and following recovery from adenotonsillectomy for obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) between 1993 and 2001.
Among 166 questionnaires returned to researchers, 138 were completely filled out. Investigators also assessed behavior changes using the Conners' Parent Rating Scale-Revised for 94 children at least 3 years old.
The results were released at a conference on sleep in infancy and childhood sponsored by the Annenberg Center for Health Sciences.
Significant improvements were reported for quality of life, daytime breathing, sleep breathing, loudness of snoring, and excessive daytime tiredness, the investigators said.
No significant changes were seen after surgery in asthma, bedwetting, concentration, school performance, or intellectual/developmental progress. No short-term or long-term effects of the surgery were seen on any subscale of the Conners' subscales.
Dr. Constantin said during an interview that a prospective study of potential behavioral impacts of adenotonsillectomy for OSA is underway.