Long-term follow-up of obstructive sleep apnea syndrome following surgery in children and adults

Obstructive sleep apnea syndrome (OSAS) is characterized by recurrent apnea s during sleep, resulting in repetitive hypoxemia. The present study retros pectively analyzed subjective and objective assessments of the patients wit h OSAS in a relatively long-term follow-up. From February 1986 to August 19 96. 53 patients received surgical treatment for OSAS and snoring. Thirty-se ven (27 males and 10 females) out of 53 patients completed the questionnair e and postoperative sleep study was obtained in 6 patients. In 20 children (<15 years), snoring, sleep apnea, and daytime sleepiness completely disapp eared in 12, 19, and 16, and improved in 8, 1, and 4, respectively. These f indings confirm that tonsillectomy and/or adenoidectomy in children may be the first selection for treatment. In 17 adults, snoring, sleep apnea, and daytime sleepiness completely disappeared in 2, 5, and 8, improved in 11, 8 , and 7, and was unchanged in 4, 1, and 1, respectively. The apnea index in adults was significantly decreased in both early and late postoperative pe riods. These results suggest that surgery is a satisfactory alternative for adult patients if performed accurate preoperative diagnosis of the localiz ation of the airway collapse and careful long-term follow-up.