Assessment of quality of life before and after an adenotonsillectomy among children with hypertrophic tonsils and/or adenoids

Abstract

Introduction.Adenotonsillectomy is the most common surgical procedure in otolaryngology. The main indication for this procedure is upper airway obstruction associated with hypertrophic tonsils and/or adenoids. Objectives. To describe the differences in quality of life before and after an adenoidectomy and/ or tonsillectomy and compare it with that of healthy children. Population and Methods. All children aged 1 to 17 years old hospitalized for an elective surgery between July 2012 and April 2014 were enrolled. They were compared to a control group of children in the same age range. The survey used was validated in Spanish (OSA-18) and has been especially designed to establish a relationship between obstructive sleep apnea and quality of life in pediatrics. Results. Eighty-five surgery patients and 100 healthy control children were assessed. The impact on quality of life was mild in 37.6% of children, moderate in 32.9%, and severe in 29.4%, while it was mild for 96% of the control group. The average ± SD of the total pre-surgery score was 67.5 ± 20.3 (95% confidence interval [CI]: 63.13-71.88). The average post-surgery scores were 37.9 ± 21.4 (95% CI: 33.24-42.48) and ) at 3 and 6 months, respectively (p < 0.001). The average score for the control group was 31.2 ± 13.2 (95% CI: 28.6-33.8) and was significantly different from the post-surgery groups (p = 0.03). Conclusions. Quality of life was reduced in children with a surgical indication for symptomatic adenotonsillar hypertrophy, while it was significantly improved after the surgery.