Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2010 Oct;53(10):872-9.
doi: 10.3345/kjp.2010.53.10.872. Epub 2010 Oct 31.

Treatment of obstructive sleep apnea in children

Young Min Ahn  1
Affiliations

Treatment of obstructive sleep apnea in children

Young Min Ahn. Korean J Pediatr. 2010 Oct.

Abstract

Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) in children is a frequent disease for which optimal diagnostic methods are still being defined. Treatment of OSA in children should include providing space, improving craniofacial growth, resolving all symptoms, and preventing the development of the disease in the adult years. Adenotonsillectomy (T&A) has been the treatment of choice and thought to solve young patient's OSA problem, which is not the case for most adults. Recent reports showed success rates that vary from 27.2% to 82.9%. Children snoring regularly generally have a narrow maxilla compared to children who do not snore. The impairment of nasal breathing with increased nasal resistance has a well-documented negative impact on early childhood maxilla-mandibular development, making the upper airway smaller and might lead to adult OSA. Surgery in young children should be performed as early as possible to prevent the resulting morphologic changes and neurobehavioral, cardiovascular, endocrine, and metabolic complications. Close postoperative follow-up to monitor for residual disease is equally important. As the proportion of obese children has been increasing recently, parents should be informed about the weight gain after T&A. Multidisciplinary evaluation of the anatomic abnormalities in children with OSA leads to better overall treatment outcome.

Keywords: Adenotonsillectomy; Child; Maxilla-mandibular development; Obstructive sleep apnea syndrome.

PubMed Disclaimer

Figures

Fig. 1
Fig. 1
Influence of sleep-disordered breathing on orofacial growth.
Fig. 2
Fig. 2
Maxillomandibular expansion for the treatment of sleep-disordered breathing.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

    1. Sheldon SH, Ferber R, Kryger MH. Principles and practice of Pediatric sleep medicine. 1st ed. Philadelphia: Elsevier Saunders Co; 2005. pp. 197–267.
    1. Section on pediatric pulmonology and subcommittee on obstructive sleep apnea syndrome; American Academy of Pediatrics. Clinical practice guideline: diagnosis and management of childhood obstructive sleep apnea syndrome. Pediatrics. 2002;109:704–712. - PubMed
    1. Guilleminault C, Eldridge FL, Simmons FB, Dement WC. Sleep apnea in eight children. Pediatrics. 1976;58:23–30. - PubMed
    1. Lumeng JC, Chervin RD. Epidemiology of pediatric obstructive sleep apnea. Proc Am Thorac Soc. 2008;5:242–252. - PMC - PubMed
    1. Cho SJ, Kim EY, Rho YI, Yang ES, Park YB. Prevalence and associated factors of snoring in school-aged children. J Korean Pediatr Soc. 2002;45:1340–1345.