Behavior, cognition, and quality of life after adenotonsillectomy for pediatric sleep-disordered breathing: summary of the literature

Abstract

Objective: To summarize published studies that evaluate whether adenotonsillectomy performed for sleep-disordered breathing in children is associated with improvements in behavior, cognitive function, and quality of life, whether those improvements show correlation with polysomnographic parameters, and suggest how future studies may provide additional clinically significant information.

Methods: A computerized search of the medical literature was performed for articles published between 1950 and March 2007 with the use of the OVID Medsearch database.

Results: Analysis revealed 25 articles that satisfied the inclusion and exclusion criteria. All studies showed improvement in one or more of the specified outcome measures including general or disease specific quality of life, behavioral problems including hyperactivity and increased aggression or neurocognitive skills, such as memory, attention, or school performance. Limited correlation was often seen between improvements in outcome measures and polysomnographic variables.

Conclusion: Current studies strongly suggest adenotonsillectomy performed for sleep-disordered breathing in children is associated with improvements in quality of life, behavior, and cognitive function, but large, randomized, controlled studies are needed to provide definitive evidence of the benefits of this commonly performed surgical procedure in the general population.