[Pediatric day surgery of the respiratory tract--indications and prioritization]. / Dagkirurgi i øvre luftveier hos barn--indikasjoner og prioritering.

Ear, Nose and Throat (ENT) procedures are the most common types of surgery in children and include adenoidectomy, tonsillectomy, myringotomy, ventilation tube insertion or combinations of these. In order to study disease profile and routines for referral and treatment in outpatient otolaryngologic surgery, data were collected from 178 children operated consecutively during a six-week period in 1998. Median time from referral to surgery was less than four months. The majority of children operated for recurrent acute otitis media, tonsillitis or upper respiratory infections had suffered from the disease for 12 months or less. Obstructive symptoms were registered in 18% of these children. Most patients were referred to the hospital by specialists in otolaryngology or paediatric medicine. Surgery was more common in male than female-children, and median age at the time of surgery was 4.2 years. There was an equal distribution of middle ear and pharyngeal surgery.