Predicting the effect of treatment in paediatric OSA by clinical examination and functional respiratory imaging

OBJECTIVE The aim of this study was to investigate whether functional respiratory imaging (FRI) or clinical examination could predict treatment outcome for obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) in normal-weight, non-syndromic children. METHODS Normal weight children diagnosed with OSA by polysomnography were prospectively included. All children got a thorough evaluation and an ultra-low dose computed tomography scan of the upper airway (UA). A 3-D reconstruction was built combined with computational fluid dynamics for FRI. Decisions on the need and type of surgery were based upon findings during drug-induced sleep endoscopy. A second polysomnography was performed 3-12 months after surgery. RESULTS Ninety-one children were included: 62 boys, 5.0 ± 2.7 years, and BMI z-score of −0.1 ± 1.2. Children with more severe OSA had a smaller volume of the overlap region between the adenoids and tonsils. Nineteen out of 60 patients had persistent OSA (oAHI >2/h). A lower conductance in the UA and a higher tonsil score predicted successful treatment. CONCLUSIONS A less constricted airway, as characterized by both FRI and a lower tonsil score, was associated with a less favorable response to (adeno) tonsillectomy. Further studies after treatment using FRI and DISE are warranted to further characterize the UA of these subjects.