Assessment of quality of life before and after an adenotonsillectomy among children with hypertrophic tonsils and/or adenoids.

INTRODUCTION

Adenotonsillectomy is the most common surgical procedure in otolaryngology.The main indication for this procedure is upper airway obstruction associated with hypertrophic tonsils and/or adenoids.

OBJECTIVES

To describe the differences in quality of life before and after an adenoidectomy and/or tonsillectomy and compare it with that of healthy children.

POPULATION AND METHODS

All children aged 1 to 17 years old hospitalized for an elective surgery between July 2012 and April 2014 were enrolled.They were compared to a control group of children in the same age range. The survey used was validated in Spanish (OSA-18) and has been especially designed to establish a relationship between obstructive sleep apnea and quality of life in pediatrics.

RESULTS

Eighty-five surgery patients and 100 healthy control children were assessed. The impact on quality of life was mild in 37.6% of children, moderate in 32.9%, and severe in 29.4%,while it was mild for 96% of the control group.The average±SD of the total pre-surgery score was 67.5±20.3 (95% confidence interval [CI]:63.13-71.88). The average post-surgery scores were 37.9±21.4 (95% CI: 33.24-42.48) and 37.25±23.9 (95% CI: 32.19-42.33) at 3 and 6 months,respectively (p<0.001). The average score for the control group was 31.2±13.2 (95% CI: 28.6-33.8) and was significantly different from the post-surgery groups (p=0.03).

CONCLUSIONS

Quality of life was reduced in children with a surgical indication for symptomatic adenotonsillar hypertrophy, while it was significantly improved after the surgery.