Central and mixed apneas in children with obstructive sleep apnea: effect of adenotonsillectomy.

PURPOSE: Investigate the effect of adenotonsillectomy on mixed apnea index (MAI) and central apnea index (CAI) in children with moderate-to-severe obstructive sleep apnea syndrome (OSAS). METHODS: Observational retrospective analysis of polysomnographic data in children diagnosed with moderate-to-severe OSAS and without comorbidity, submitted to adenotonsillectomy. RESULTS: Data were available for 80 children, 55 boys and 25 girls, with a median age of 3.6 years (2.1-5.9). Before surgery AHI was 14.1 (11.0-18.4) per hour, with a median preoperative OAI of 7.1 (4.1-10.6), MAI of 1.2 (0.6-1.6) and CAI of 1.0 (0.4-2.0). Adenotonsillectomy caused significant improvements in MAI, from 1.2 (0.6-1.6) to 0.5 (0.1-0.8) (p < 0.001) and CAI from 1.0 (0.4-2.0) to 0.5 (0.1-0.9) (p < 0.001). This represents a normalization of MAI in 91.7% and CAI in 75.6% of children that had an abnormal value prior surgery. CONCLUSION: Non obstructive apneas are common in children with OSAS. Adenotonsillectomy caused significant decrease not only in OAI, but also in MAI and CAI in children with moderate-to-severe OSAS.

Surgical treatment for obstructive sleep apnea: effect on sleep architecture.

PURPOSE: Investigate the effect of surgical treatment of obstructive sleep apnea syndrome (OSA) on sleep architecture. METHODS: Observational retrospective analysis of polysomnographic data of adults diagnosed with OSA, submitted to surgical treatment. Median (25-75th percentile) was used to present the data. RESULTS: Data were available for 76 adults, 55 men and 21 women, with median age of 49.0 years (41.0-62.0), body mass index of 27.3 kg/m2 (25.3-29.3) and AHI of 17.4 per hour (11.3-22.9) before surgeries. Preoperatively, 93.4% of patients had an abnormal distribution of at least one of the sleep phases. After surgical treatment, we found a significant increase in median N3 sleep percent from 16.9% (8.3-22-7) to 18.9% (15.5-25.4) (p = 0.003). Postoperatively, 18.6% patients that had an abnormal preoperative N1 sleep phase distribution had a normalization of this sleep phase, as also occurred to N2, N3 and REM sleep phases in 44.0%, 23.3% and 63.6% of patients, respectively. CONCLUSION: This study aims to show the impact of OSA treatment, not only on respiratory events but also on other polysomnographic data often underestimated. Upper airway surgeries have shown to be effective in sleep architecture improvements. There is a trend for sleep distribution normalization, with increase of time spend in profound sleep.

Severe Pediatric Sleep Apnea: Drug-Induced Sleep Endoscopy Based Surgery.

Although adenotonsillectomy is the recommended treatment of obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) in children, some patients with preoperative severe OSA (Apnea-hypopnea index/AHI > 10) remain symptomatic after surgery and may need further workup. This study aims to: (1) analyse preoperative factors and its relation with surgical failure/persistent OSA (AHI > 5 after adenotonsillectomy) in severe pediatric OSA; (2) determine the levels of airway collapse during DISE (drug induced sleep endoscopy) in cases of surgical failure; (3) evaluate the efficacy of targeted surgery based on DISE findings. This retrospective study was conducted between August and September 2020. Across 9 years (from 2011 to 2020), all children diagnosed with severe OSA in our Hospital underwent adenotonsillectomy and repeated type 1 polysomnography (PSG) 3 months after surgery. Cases of surgical failure underwent DISE for planning eventual directed surgery. Chi-square test was used to assess the relationship between persistent OSA and preoperative patients' characteristics. 80 cases of severe pediatric OSA were diagnosed (68.8% males; mean age: 4.3 years-standard deviation: 2.49; mean AHI: 16.3-standard deviation 7.14) in the aforementioned period. We found a significant association between surgical failure (11.3% of cases; mean AHI: 6.9-SD 0.91) and obesity (p = 0.002; confidence level of 95%). Neither preoperative AHI nor other PSG parameters were associated with surgical failure. In cases of surgical failure, epiglottis collapse was present in every DISEs and adenoid tissue was present in 66% of children. All cases of surgical failure had directed surgery and surgical cure (AHI ≤ 5) was obtained in 100% of cases. This study suggests that obesity is the strongest predictor of surgical failure in children with severe OSA who undergo adenotonsillectomy. Epiglottis collapse and presence of adenoid tissue are the most common findings in postoperative DISEs of children with persistent OSA after primary surgery. DISE based surgery seems a safe and effective tool to manage persistent OSA after adenotonsillectomy.

Treatment of otomycosis with clotrimazole: results accordingly with the fungus isolated.

BACKGROUND: Otomycosis is usually caused by Candida spp or Aspergillus spp. While Candida is usually multissensitive to available antifungals, Aspergillus is not. Topical antifungals for otomycosis that are available in Portugal are scarce, and systemic treatments have too many interactions and contraindications. OBJECTIVES: Determine otomycosis epidemiology, microbiology and treatment results. METHODS: Observational study that included patients followed in Professor Doutor Fernando Fonseca Hospital, between 2011 and 2020. Otomycosis diagnosis was obtained through ear drainage culture, and every case was treated with 1% clotrimazole ear drops plus ear cleaning once per week. RESULTS: Aspergillus was found in ear drainage culture in 43.9% of patients and Candida in the remaining. There was a significant statistical difference between patients with otomycosis caused by Aspergillus versus Candida in treatment duration from 25.0 days (16.5-43.0) versus 14.0 days (7.0-18.5) (p < .001), respectively. CONCLUSIONS: Otomycosis was more frequently caused by Candida, and this type of otomycosis is treated faster with clotrimazole 10 mg/dL plus ear cleaning, when compared with otomycosis by Aspergillus. SIGNIFICANCE: If otomycosis causative agent is identified or suspected, a prediction of the time needed till the resolution of otomycosis can be made, when clotrimazole ear drops are used.

Predictors of OSA following adenotonsillectomy in children with trisomy 21.

OBJECTIVES: Given that 30%-50% of children with trisomy 21 have persistent obstructive sleep apnoea (OSA) after adenotonsillectomy, we evaluated whether demographic, clinical and polysomnographic factors predicted persistent OSA and OSA severity after adenotonsillectomy. DESIGN: Retrospective study. SETTING: Secondary care hospital. PARTICIPANTS: Retrospective review of 32 children with the diagnosis of trisomy 21 and OSA by polysomnography who underwent adenotonsillectomy, from January 2010 to December 2018. MAIN OUTCOME AND MEASURE: Non-parametric analysis was used to compare pre- and postoperative factors, and regression was used to model persistent OSA and OSA severity. RESULTS: Thirty-two children were included (17 males, median age 10.00 ± 8.00 years, median body mass index z-score 0.89 ± 1.25). Overall, adenotonsillectomy resulted in a significant improvement in median obstructive apnoea-hypopnoea index (oAHI) from 7.5 ± 8.95 to 4.40 ± 4.38 events per hour (P < .001) and in median OSA-18 score from 85.00 ± 12.00 to 61.00 ± 37.75 (P < .001). Persistent OSA was found in 56.25% of the children. Univariate regression suggests that postoperative OSA-18 score was associated with persistent OSA after adenotonsillectomy. Preoperative oAHI, preoperative oxygen desaturation index, pre- and postoperative OSA-18 scores correlated with OSA severity after adenotonsillectomy. However, in a multivariate model only the postoperative OSA-18 score correlated with OSA severity after adenotonsillectomy. CONCLUSIONS: Although adenotonsillectomy results in a significant improvement of OSA in children with trisomy 21, more than half of the children had persistent OSA. The postoperative OSA-18 score was associated both with persistent OSA and OSA severity after adenotonsillectomy.

Drug-Induced Sleep Endoscopy in Pediatric Obstructive Sleep Apnea.

OBJECTIVE: To describe drug-induced sleep endoscopy (DISE) findings in children with obstructive sleep apnea and to differentiate them between surgically naïve children and children who had adenotonsillectomy performed. STUDY DESIGN: Retrospective case series with chart review. SETTING: Secondary care hospital. SUBJECTS AND METHODS: A cohort of 56 children with the diagnosis of obstructive sleep apnea was submitted to DISE and subsequent upper airway surgery: 23 were surgically naïve, and 33 had persistent obstructive sleep apnea after adenotonsillectomy. Comparisons between groups were calculated with chi-square test and Student's t test. Simple linear regression was used to model polysomnographic indices. RESULTS: In surgically naïve children, the most common sites of obstruction were the adenoids (78.2%) and the lateral pharyngeal walls/tonsils (82.6%). In children with persistent obstructive sleep apnea after adenotonsillectomy, the most common sites of obstruction were the adenoids (54.5%), followed by the supraglottis (48.5%) and the tongue base (45.5%). No correlation was found between obstructive apnea-hypopnea index and DISE findings. Simple linear regression revealed that the degree of obstruction at the tongue base (ß = -0.73; 95% CI, -1.22 to -0.25; P = .004) and the presence of multilevel obstruction (ß = -1.75; 95% CI, -3.20 to -0.30; P = .02) predicted saturation nadir in children with persistent obstructive sleep apnea after adenotonsillectomy. CONCLUSION: DISE findings differed between surgically naïve children and children with persistent obstructive sleep apnea after adenotonsillectomy. Increased obstruction at the level of the tongue base and the presence of multilevel obstruction predicted a lower saturation nadir in children with persistent obstructive sleep apnea after adenotonsillectomy.