Adenotonsillectomy for obstructive sleep apnoea in children

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Abstract
Current treatment of sleep apnoea in children consists of largely surgical based treatments. Adenotonsillectomy is the most commonly used intervention to treat sleep apnoea in children. To determine the efficacy of adenotonsillectomy in the treatment of obstructive sleep apnoea in children. The Cochrane Airways group specialised register was searched with pre-specified terms. Randomised trials recruiting children with a diagnosis of obstructive sleep apnoea. A total of 196 references were identified from electronic searching. Twenty studies were retrieved and none met the inclusion criteria of the review. Due to the absence of randomised trial data, no results could be ascertained. At present there is still debate as to the polysomnographic criteria required to diagnose significant obstructive sleep apnoea in children. Also the natural history of the condition has not been fully delineated. There is an absence of randomised controlled trials investigating the efficacy of treatment of obstructive sleep apnoea with adenotonsillectomy in children and, therefore, further research is required before recommendations for the treatment of obstructive sleep apnoea in children can be formulated.