Guidelines of the French Society of Otorhinolaryngology. Role of the ENT specialist in the diagnosis of obstructive sleep apnea-hypopnea syndrome (OSAHS) in children. Part 2: Diagnostic investigations apart from sleep studies

Lingual Tonsillectomy as Part of a DISE-Directed Multilevel Upper Airway Surgery to Treat Complex Pediatric OSA: A Safe and Appropriate Procedure

OBJECTIVE

To study the efficiency of lingual tonsillectomy (LT) as part of multilevel surgery in children with complex obstructive sleep apnea (OSA). To evaluate the safety and the outcomes of LT.

STUDY DESIGN

Retrospective case series.

SETTING

Pediatric tertiary care academic center.

METHODS

We included all children operated for LT to treat complex OSA, from January 2018 to June 2022. All patients underwent a protocolized drug-induced sleep endoscopy (DISE) followed by a coblation LT, associated with the treatment of all other obstructive sites. Patient demographics, medical history, surgery, and outcomes were reviewed. The efficiency of LT was analyzed exclusively in patients with a preoperative and postoperative sleep study.

RESULTS

One hundred twenty-three patients were included. Median age was 8 years (interquartile range, IQR [3-12]). Sixty-five (53%) patients had Down syndrome, 22 (18%) had a craniofacial malformation, and 8 (7%) were obese. LT was associated with adenoidectomy (n = 78, 63%), partial tonsillectomy (n = 70, 57%), inferior turbinoplasty/turbinectomy (n = 59, 48%), epiglottoplasty (n = 92, 75%), and/or expansion pharyngoplasty (n = 2, 2%). Eighty-nine patients underwent a sleep study before and after surgery. The median apnea-hypopnea index (AHI) decreased from 18 events/h (IQR [9-36]) before surgery to 3 events/h (IQR [1-5]) after surgery (P < .001) (patients with a postoperative AHI <1.5 events/h, n = 31, 35%, and an AHI <5 events/h, n = 32, 36%). Seventeen out of 30 (57%) patients could be weaned from continuous positive airway pressure after surgery. Two patients had a postoperative hemorrhage and 2 patients required a transient postoperative reintubation.

CONCLUSION

In children with complex OSA, LT as part of a DISE-directed multilevel upper airway surgery, was a very efficient and safe procedure.

Correlations between Morphology, the Functional Properties of Upper Airways, and the Severity of Sleep Apnea

Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) is considered the silent killer pathology of the new millennium. This is due to increased risk factors such as obesity. Healthcare systems face an increasing burden from severe cases of OSA. We performed a study on a group of 152 Romanian patients with OSA recording data obtained through polysomnography and cephalometric variables, recorded in lateral plain X-rays. The results confirmed some of the data available from previous studies worldwide, but some of the variables presented a positive statistical correlation specific to our study group. For example, the apnea-hypopnea index (AHI) correlated with the uvula length but surprisingly did not correlate with body mass index (BMI) because obesity tends to become endemic in Romania. To our knowledge, this is one of the first studies focusing on cephalometric data in Romanian OSA patients. The results obtained through this study will be further analyzed in research on larger groups of Romanian OSA patients.