Adenotonsillectomy was effective in providing relief from sleep disorders for some children with Prader-Willi syndrome (PWS), according to a new study from Nationwide Children’s Hospital. The procedure involves removal of both the adenoids and tonsils.
Researchers reviewed information from patients who participated in Nationwide Children’s annual sleep study to determine the efficacy of adenotonsillectomy in the treatment of sleep apnea in Prader-Willi syndrome.
They discovered that 89%of the patients with mild-to-moderate obstructive sleep apnea or obstructive hypoventilation normalized after receiving adenotonsillectomy. Of the four children with severe obstructive sleep apnea, two normalized after surgery and two continued to have severe apneas.
“These findings suggest that adenotonsillectomy is effective in most children with Prader-Willi syndrome who demonstrate mild to moderate obstructive sleep apnea, but may not be curative in children with severe forms of the condition,” said the study’s lead author, Kris Jatana, MD, FAAP, with Otolaryngology Head & Neck Surgery at Nationwide Children’s. Jatana is also a faculty member at The Ohio State University College of Medicine.
