Abstract

Dr. Ibrahim O. Musa*, Paul A. Onakoya, Josephine A.E Eziyi and Joseph O. Idugboe

ABSTRACT

Introduction: Obstructive sleep apnoea (OSA) caused by enlarged tonsils and adenoid is common in the paediatric population. It is characterized by episodic partial or complete obstruction of the upper airway during sleep. This study aims to determine the impact of adenotonsillectomy on quality of life (QoL) in children with obstructive adenotonsillar hyperplasia. Participants and method: This was a prospective and hospital-based study of 73 children with a clinical diagnosis of obstructive adenotonsillar hyperplasia. A validated Obstructive Sleep Apnoea (OSA-18) quality of life survey questionnaire was administered to all caregivers’ of participants before, 1week, and 6weeks after adenoidectomy and/or tonsillectomy. Tonsillar enlargement was graded by the Brodsky assessment scale and a lateral soft tissue radiograph of the nasopharynx was done to determined the adenoid nasopharyngeal ratio (ANR) parameter as described by Fujioka et al. Analysis of the data collected was done using Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS version 22) and the level of statistical significance was set at P< 0.05. Results: Seventy three children participated in this study with age range 1-12 years and mean age of 3.7 years ± 2.84, with a male to female ratio of 2.2:1. There was a significant change in mean score of QoL from pre-surgery to 1week (mean change=26.57, 95% CI=23.17-29.97, P=000.1) and from pre-surgery to 6weeks post-surgery (mean change=34.72, 95%CI=30.0-37.38, P=0.0001) respectively. Conclusion: There were significant improvements in the QoL in children with obstructive adenotonsillar hyperplasia after adenotonsillectomy at least on short-term follow up with good caregivers’ satisfaction.