What is it about?
Children with Down syndrome (DS) are liable to develop obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) due to many anatomical airway abnormalities. The tonsils and adenoid occupy part of the airway space, and their removal may be helpful in relieving airway obstruction. The aim of this study was to assess the effectiveness of adenotonsillectomy in the treatment of OSA in those children.
Featured Image
Why is it important?
Adenotonsillectomy is an effective method for the treatment of OSA in children with DS. However, the condition may persist in some children who usually have airway narrowing at multiple levels.
Perspectives
Adenotonsillectomy is an effective surgical option for the treatment of OSA in children with DS. However, some children may complain of residual degrees of persistent OSA, and the parents should be consented of this fact before surgery. The tonsils and adenoid definitely occupy part of airway space and their removal is helpful in eliminating part of the airway obstruction; however, children with DS usually have many risk factors for airway narrowing and collapse.
Mosaad Abdel-Aziz
Cairo University
Read the Original
This page is a summary of: The effect of adenotonsillectomy on obstructive sleep apnea in children with Down syndrome, Acta Oto-Laryngologica, April 2017, Taylor & Francis,
DOI: 10.1080/00016489.2017.1312016.
You can read the full text:
Contributors
The following have contributed to this page
