OSA-18 Survey in Evaluation of Sleep-disordered Breathing in Children with Adenotonsillar Hypertrophy

Background/Aim: The aim of this study was to estimate the quality of life (QOL) in children with sleep-disordered breathing (SDB) before and after adenoidectomy and before and after adenotonsillectomy using the OSA-18 survey. Setting and Design: The prospective study included sixty children with symptoms of SDB caused by enlarged adenoids or tonsils, of both sexes, aged 3-12 years, consecutively admitted into the ENT Clinic in Tuzla, for adenoidectomy or adenotonsillectomy. Methods: Patients were divided in two subgroups: thirty patients who underwent adenoidectomy and thirty patients who underwent adenotonsillectomy. Parents or caregivers completed the OSA-18 survey before surgery and 5 weeks after surgery. For statistical analysis was used Student’s t-test of pared samples. The values p 0.05 were accepted as significant. Results: Mean total score before adenoidectomy was 3.44 (SD=0.77) and after surgery was 1.30 (SD=0.46).Mean total score before adenotonsillectomy was 3.69 (SD=0.80), after surgery was 1.22 (SD=0.27). The difference between preoperative and postoperative scores in both subgroups of patients was significant (p 0.01). Conclusion: Adenoidectomy and adenotonsillectomy improve QOL in children with SDB, which is caused by adenotonsillar hypertrophy. The OSA-18 survey is a useful tool for the selection of children for surgery with SDB caused by adenotonsillar hypertrophy and to assess quality of life after surgery.