ENTtoday
  • Home
  • Practice Focus
    • Allergy
    • Facial Plastic/Reconstructive
    • Head and Neck
    • Laryngology
    • Otology/Neurotology
    • Pediatric
    • Rhinology
    • Sleep Medicine
  • Departments
    • Issue Archive
    • TRIO Best Practices
      • Allergy
      • Facial Plastic/Reconstructive
      • Head and Neck
      • Laryngology
      • Otology/Neurotology
      • Pediatric
      • Rhinology
      • Sleep Medicine
    • Career Development
    • Case of the Month
    • Everyday Ethics
    • Health Policy
    • Legal Matters
    • Letter From the Editor
    • Medical Education
    • Online Exclusives
    • Practice Management
    • Resident Focus
    • Rx: Wellness
    • Special Reports
    • Tech Talk
    • Viewpoint
    • What’s Your O.R. Playlist?
  • Literature Reviews
    • Allergy
    • Facial Plastic/Reconstructive
    • Head and Neck
    • Laryngology
    • Otology/Neurotology
    • Pediatric
    • Rhinology
    • Sleep Medicine
  • Multimedia
    • Video
    • Audio
  • Events
    • Featured Events
    • TRIO Meetings
  • Contact Us
    • About Us
    • Editorial Board
    • Triological Society
    • Advertising Staff
    • Subscribe
  • Advertise
    • Place an Ad
    • Classifieds
    • Rate Card
  • Search

Pediatric Tonsillectomies on the Rise

by Susan Kreimer • November 1, 2012

  • Tweet
  • Email
Print-Friendly Version

He recommends a shared decision-making approach, which is particularly helpful in situations where the evidence is incomplete. “Shared decision making is a model that’s being widely applied to adult decisions, includes a much fuller discussion of the benefits and tradeoffs of a procedure and directly invites the patient or the family to work with a clinician on their decision,” said Dr. Goodman.—SK

You Might Also Like

  • Testing Recommendation for Children with Sleep-Disordered Breathing
  • Revisit Diagnoses, Rates Similar for Ambulatory and Children’s Hospital Tonsillectomies
  • Hospital Type Affects Cost, Outcome of Tonsillectomies in Kids
  • Can Tonsil Size Help Predict Pediatric OSA Severity?
Explore This Issue
November 2012

When compared with figures from a half-century ago, the overall rate of tonsillectomies has declined dramatically, said Richard Rosenfeld, MD, MPH, professor and chairman of otolaryngology at SUNY Downstate Medical Center in Brooklyn, N.Y. and president of the American Society of Pediatric Otolaryngology. He added that the recent reports require some perspective. “You can’t just look at the number of tonsillectomies. You have to look at why they’re being done.”

Indications for Sleep-Disordered Breathing

Historically, tonsillectomies were performed in cases of infection and, according to a National Health Statistics report published in 2009, they are still one of the most commonly performed pediatric surgeries. “Years ago, it was sort of a rite of passage that you had your tonsils out,” said Dr. Rosenfeld. That was until better antibiotics became available and indications for surgery were more clearly defined.

In the 1980s, many children presented to physicians with sleep-related symptoms, and airway obstruction became the primary indication for tonsillectomy. Today, more than half of tonsillectomies are performed to treat sleep apnea and other sleep-related conditions in children. (Ann Otol Rhinol Laryngol. 1990;99(3 Pt 1):187-191) “There is greater awareness of the implications of untreated sleep apnea,” said Norman Friedman, MD, associate professor of otolaryngology and director of Children’s Hospital Colorado Sleep Center in Denver. “For younger children [with sleep apnea], most of the time, a tonsillectomy with an adenoidectomy is the first line of treatment.”

Obesity in children has contributed to a higher prevalence of sleep apnea. “Obesity causes fat deposits within soft tissues of the neck to collapse, and that makes the airway more likely to collapse and produce the symptoms of sleep apnea,” said Scott Brietzke, MD, MPH, director of pediatric otolaryngology and residency program director at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center in Bethesda, Md.

Left untreated, sleep-disordered breathing can adversely affect a child’s behavior, school performance and quality of life. (See Testing Recommendation for Children with Sleep-Disordered Breathing, p. 31). Adenotonsillectomy has been highly effective in normalizing sleep and reversing the negative impact on most children, said Ron B. Mitchell, MD, professor and chief of pediatric otolaryngology at University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center and Children’s Medical Center Dallas.

Pages: 1 2 3 4 5 | Single Page

Filed Under: Laryngology, Pediatric, Practice Focus, Sleep Medicine Tagged With: obesity, outcomes, outpatient, patient satisfaction, pediatric, research, sleep apnea, tonsillectomyIssue: November 2012

You Might Also Like:

  • Testing Recommendation for Children with Sleep-Disordered Breathing
  • Revisit Diagnoses, Rates Similar for Ambulatory and Children’s Hospital Tonsillectomies
  • Hospital Type Affects Cost, Outcome of Tonsillectomies in Kids
  • Can Tonsil Size Help Predict Pediatric OSA Severity?

The Triological SocietyENTtoday is a publication of The Triological Society.

The Laryngoscope
Ensure you have all the latest research at your fingertips; Subscribe to The Laryngoscope today!

Laryngoscope Investigative Otolaryngology
Open access journal in otolaryngology – head and neck surgery is currently accepting submissions.

Classifieds

View the classified ads »

TRIO Best Practices

View the TRIO Best Practices »

Top Articles for Residents

  • Do Training Programs Give Otolaryngology Residents the Necessary Tools to Do Productive Research?
  • Why More MDs, Medical Residents Are Choosing to Pursue Additional Academic Degrees
  • What Physicians Need to Know about Investing Before Hiring a Financial Advisor
  • Tips to Help You Regain Your Sense of Self
  • Should USMLE Step 1 Change from Numeric Score to Pass/Fail?
  • Popular this Week
  • Most Popular
  • Most Recent
    • The Dramatic Rise in Tongue Tie and Lip Tie Treatment
    • Vertigo in the Elderly: What Does It Mean?
    • Is There a Crisis in the Otolaryngology Match?
    • New Developments in the Management of Eustachian Tube Dysfunction
    • Experts Delve into Treatment Options for Laryngopharyngeal Reflux
    • New Developments in the Management of Eustachian Tube Dysfunction
    • Vertigo in the Elderly: What Does It Mean?
    • Eustachian Tuboplasty: A Potential New Option for Chronic Tube Dysfunction and Patulous Disease
    • Some Laryngopharyngeal Reflux Resists PPI Treatment
    • Post-Tonsillectomy Taste Disorders Rare but Present
    • 10 Novel Ways to Disseminate Scientific Information
    • How to Work with Sales and Marketing Representatives in Your Medical Practice
    • How Medicine Helped Surgeon Prepare for Career as Writer
    • Best Practices for Emergency Surgical Airway
    • Spare Roof Technique Can Improve Patient Quality of Life after Rhinoplasty

Polls

Will registry information and data science improve patient care?

View Results

Loading ... Loading ...
  • Polls Archive
  • Home
  • Contact Us
  • Advertise
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms of Use

Visit: The Triological Society • The Laryngoscope • Laryngoscope Investigative Otolaryngology

Wiley
© 2019 The Triological Society. All Rights Reserved.
ISSN 1559-4939

loading Cancel
Post was not sent - check your email addresses!
Email check failed, please try again
Sorry, your blog cannot share posts by email.
This site uses cookies: Find out more.