Pediatric polysomnography for sleep-disordered breathing prior to tonsillectomy: a guideline review

Abstract

Snoring and other signs of sleep-disordered breathing (SDB) represent a common management challenge for the pediatrician, pulmonologist, anesthesiologist, and otolaryngologist. In 2011, the American Academy of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery published a clinical practice guideline for the treatment of patients with SDB. This guideline provides indications for polysomnography use in patients with SDB. In this article, we discuss the management of SDB in pediatric patients, which relies on the accurate assessment of symptoms of SDB, identification of comorbidities known to increase the severity of SDB, and appropriate preoperative assessment of the patient.