根據一項最新研究的結果：患有阻塞性睡眠呼吸暫停（OSA）的兒童，接受手術切除扁桃體以及淋巴腺組織，能夠改善生命質量。

先前的研究顯示：患睡眠呼吸疾病的兒童生命質量受到損害，影響他們的行為，容易感染，影響他們的氣道和呼吸。因此，在近年手術切除扁桃體以及淋巴腺組織的頻率不斷上升。

該項研究涉及了47例患有疑似睡眠呼吸疾病的兒童。其中，31例兒童、22例男孩以及9例女孩，根據多導睡眠腦電圖診斷為OSA。所有患者都推薦進行增殖腺扁桃體切除手術。31例中有22例在6個月后接受了隨訪。在該組患者中，24例接受了外科手術，5例沒有接受手術。

Baylor醫學院的Michael G. Stewart主持了這項研究，這些研究人員說：“我們發現與沒有接受手術的兒童相比，接受外科手術兒童的生命質量得到了顯著改善。即使并不是所有兒童都治愈了OSA，但是生命質量的改善毫無疑問是十分顯著的。”這項研究的結果發表在2005年4月《耳鼻喉科頭頸外科手術學檔案》。

Surgery Benefits Children With Sleep Apnea
 
Children with obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) who have their tonsils and adenoid tissue surgically removed experience an improved quality of life, according to a new study.

Previous research showed that quality of life is impaired for children with sleep disturbances, affecting behavior, infections, and airway and breathing. Because of this, the frequency of surgery to remove tonsils and adenoid tissue has increased in recent years.

The current study involved 47 children with suspected sleep breathing disturbances. Of these, 31 children, 22 boys and nine girls, were all diagnosed with OSA on the basis of a polysomnogram. Adenotonsillectomy was recommended for all. Of the 31, 29 returned for a six-month followup. Of that group, 24 had undergone surgery, while five had not.

“We found significantly larger quality-of-life changes in children who underwent surgery compared with children without surgery,” said the researchers. “Even though not all children were cured of OSA, the improvement in quality of life was nevertheless significant.” The study was conducted by Michael G. Stewart, M.D., of the Baylor College of Medicine (Houston, TX, USA), and colleagues. Their findings were reported in the April 2005 issue of Archives of Otolaryngology—Head & Neck Surgery.