TORONTO-There is an increased awareness of sleep-disordered breathing in children, but even after tonsillectomy and adenoidectomy (T&A), between 5% and 10% of all cases have persistent obstructive sleep apnea (OSA). An expert panel at the annual meeting of the American Academy of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery (AAO-HNS) addressed various diagnostic, surgical, and therapeutic approaches that can be used to treat these patients.
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January 2007The number of children who are being treated for sleep apnea in the country tends to be a fairly significant percentage or proportion of children, said panel moderator Peter Koltai, MD, Chair of Pediatric Otolaryngology at Stanford University.
There are many reasons for OSA treatment failure, including neuromuscular problems, craniofacial abnormalities, and problems with dental and occlusal mouth proportions, as well as special concerns such as primary macroglossia among the Down syndrome and other populations. In addition, there can be lingual tonsil hypertrophy (LTH) following T&A.