Home sleep apnea testing for the evaluation of obstructive sleep apnea in children following treatment with adenotonsillectomy
2022 Strategic Research Grant
CHRISTOPHER CIELO, DO
CHILDREN’S HOSPITAL OF PHILADELPHIA
Key Project Outcomes
More than 350,000 children undergo adenotonsillectomy annually in the United States for obstructive sleep apnea (OSA), some of whom will still have OSA following surgery. However, because of limited availability of in-center polysomnography, most children never undergo testing to see if they have residual OSA following adenotonsillectomy. This project compared home sleep apnea testing (HSAT) with polysomnography in 62 children 5 to 13 years old who underwent adenotonsillectomy, 54 of whom were able to complete all testing. Our results showed that the accuracy of HSAT was similar to polysomnography in its ability to detect OSA and determine OSA severity. We also found that parent-reported symptoms of OSA were not predictive of OSA status or severity in these children. Finally, our results showed that while most families found HSAT acceptable, some parents and children still preferred in-center polysomnography while others preferred HSAT. Taken together, these findings suggest that HSAT could have a role in expanding pediatric OSA testing, but that factors including family circumstances should be taken into account when choosing the optimal test for children.