HABITUAL SNORING AND OBSTRUCTIVE SLEEP-APNEA SYNDROME IN CHILDREN - EFFECTS OF EARLY TONSIL SURGERY

Habitual snoring and obstructive sleep apnea syndrome (OSA) in childre n are important in determining disturbed sleep, daytime symptoms and h aemodynamic modifications. Moreover, chronic snoring is often associat ed with enlarged tonsils and adenoids. We studied 60 children (mean ag e 42.2 months) with habitual snoring, defined as a positive answer to the question 'does the child snore every night', by nocturnal or diurn al polysomnography in order to evaluate breathing disorders and choose surgical correction of upper airway stenosis. In more than half the c hildren habitual (every night) snoring begin before the first year of life and is associated with obstructive apneas. Both nocturnal and, wi th some limits, diurnal recordings may be a good tool for diagnosis of sleep-related upper airway obstruction. Early adenomonotonsillectomy, in mild to moderate form and in children before 4 years of age, and a denotonsillectomy in the others seems to show a clinical and polysomno graphic resolution of snoring and OSA during a short-term follow up.