Summary
The present study aimed to investigate the efficacy of adenotonsillectomy (AT) for children with obstructive sleep apnea syndrome (OSAS) and the improvement of their cognitive function. Studies on cognitive performance of OSAS children treated with or without AT were identified by searching the Pubmed, EMBASE and Cochrane library. A meta-analysis was conducted to analyze the literature. The random-effects model was used to evaluate 11 eligible studies using an inverse- variance method. The neuropsychological test results of 4 cognitive domains (general intelligence, memory, attention-executive function and verbal ability) were obtained and analyzed. By comparison of cognitive function between OSAS children and healthy controls, the effect sizes of each domain were achieved as follows: general intelligence,–0.5 (P<0.0001); memory,–0.18 (P=0.02); attention-executive function,–0.21 (P=0.002); and verbal ability,–0.48 (P=0.0006). The effect sizes of general intelligence, memory, attention-executive function, and verbal ability after AT compared to baseline level were–0.37 (P=0.008),–0.36 (P=0.0005),–0.02 (P=0.88), and–0.45 (P=0.009), respectively. Comparing the cognitive ability between OSAS children after AT and healthy controls showed that the effect sizes were–0.54 (P=0.0009),–0.24 (P=0.12),–0.17 (P=0.35), and–0.45 (P=0.009) in general intelligence, memory, attention-executive function, and verbal ability, respectively. Our results confirmed that OSAS children performed worse than healthy children in terms of the 4 cognitive domains investigated. After 6–12 months of observation, significant improvement in attention-executive function and verbal ability were found in OSAS children treated with AT compared to their baseline level; restoration of attention-executive function and memory were observed in OSAS children after AT in comparison to healthy controls. Further rigorous randomized controlled trials should be conducted to obtain definitive conclusions.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Hornero R, Alvarez D, Abasolo D, et al. Utility of approximate entropy from overnight pulse oximetry data in the diagnosis of the obstructive sleep apnea syndrome. IEEE Trans Biomed Eng, 2007,54(1):107–113
Tapia IE, Marcus CL. Newer treatment modalities for pediatric obstructive sleep apnea. Paediatr Respir Rev, 2013,14(3):199–203
Chhangani BS, Melgar T, Patel D. Pediatric obstructive sleep apnea. Indian J Pediatr, 2010,77(1):81–85
Gozal D. Morbidity of obstructive sleep apnea in children: facts and theory. Sleep Breath, 2001,5(1):35–42
Hiscock H, Canterford L, Ukoumunne OC, et al. Adverse associations of sleep problems in Australian preschoolers: national population study. Pediatrics, 2007,119(1):86–93
Gozal D, Pope DW Jr. Snoring during early childhood and academic performance at ages thirteen to fourteen years. Pediatrics, 2001,107(6):1394–1399
Zhang Q, Li D, Wang H. Long term outcome of tonsillar regrowth after partial tonsillectomy in children with obstructive sleep apnea. Auris Nasus Larynx, 2014,41(3):299–302
Wei JL, Bond J, Mayo MS, et al. Improved behavior and sleep after adenotonsillectomy in children with sleep-disordered breathing: long-term follow-up. Arch Otolaryngol Head Neck Surg, 2009,135(7):642–646
Mitchell RB. Adenotonsillectomy for obstructive sleep apnea in children: outcome evaluated by pre-and postoperative polysomnography. Laryngoscope, 2007, 117(10):1844–1854
Melendres MC, Lutz JM, Rubin ED, et al. Daytime sleepiness and hyperactivity in children with suspected sleep-disordered breathing. Pediatrics, 2004,114(3):768–775
Goldstein NA, Post JC, Rosenfeld RM, et al. Impact of tonsillectomy and adenoidectomy on child behavior. Arch Otolaryngol Head Neck Surg, 2000,126(4):494–498
Harvey JM, O’callaghan MJ, Wales PD, et al. Six-month follow-up of children with obstructive sleep apnoea. J Paediatr Child Health, 1999,35(2):136–139
Tal A, Bar A, Leiberman A, et al. Sleep characteristics following adenotonsillectomy in children with obstructive sleep apnea syndrome. Chest, 2003,124(3):948–953
Karpinski AC, Scullin MH, Montgomery-Downs HE. Risk for sleep-disordered breathing and executive function in preschoolers. Sleep Med, 2008,9(4):418–424
Chervin RD, Ruzicka DL, Giordani BJ, et al. Sleep-disordered breathing, behavior, and cognition in children before and after adenotonsillectomy. Pediatrics, 2006,117(4):e769-e778
Friedman BC, Hendeles-Amitai A, Kozminsky E, et al. Adenotonsillectomy improves neurocognitive function in children with obstructive sleep apnea syndrome. Sleep, 2003,26(8):999–1005
Gozal D. Sleep-disordered breathing and school performance in children. Pediatrics, 1998,102(3 Pt 1): 616–620
Li HY, Huang YS, Chen NH, et al. Impact of adenotonsillectomy on behavior in children with sleep-disordered breathing. Laryngoscope, 2006,116(7):1142–1147
Owens J, Spirito A, Marcotte A, et al. Neuropsychological and behavioral correlates of obstructive sleep apnea syndrome in children: A preliminary study. Sleep Breath, 2000,4(2):67–78
Montgomery-Downs HE, Crabtree VM, Gozal D. Cognition, sleep and respiration in at-risk children treated for obstructive sleep apnoea. Eur Respir J, 2005,25(2):336–342
Feng HW, Jiang T, Zhang HP, et al. Comparisons of thyroid hormone, intelligence, attention, and quality of life in children with obstructive sleep apnea hypopnea syndrome before and after endoscopic adenoidectomy. Biomed Res Int, 2015,2015:523716
Zhu J, Fang Y, Chen X, et al. The impacts of obstructive sleep apnea hypopnea syndrome severity and surgery intervention on psychological and behavioral abnormalities and postoperative recovery in pediatric patients. Med Sci Monit, 2014,20(20):1474–1480
Abreu CB, Fuchs SC, Pascoto GR, et al. Effect of adenotonsillectomy on visual attention tests among children with sleep-disordered breathing: a controlled prospective cohort study. Clin Otolaryngol, 2013,38(6):487–493
Landau YE, Bar-Yishay O, Greenberg-Dotan S, et al. Impaired behavioral and neurocognitive function in preschool children with obstructive sleep apnea. Pediatr Pulmonol, 2012,47(2):180–188
Findley LJ, Barth JT, Powers DC, et al. Cognitive impairment in patients with obstructive sleep apnea and associated hypoxemia. Chest, 1986,90(5):686–690
Engleman HM, Kingshott RN, Martin SE, et al. Cognitive function in the sleep apnea/hypopnea syndrome (SAHS). Sleep, 2000,23(Suppl 4):S102–S108
Martin SE, Wraith PK, Deary IJ, et al. The effect of nonvisible sleep fragmentation on daytime function. Am J Respir Crit Care Med, 1997,155(5):1596–1601
Beebe DW, Gozal D. Obstructive sleep apnea and the prefrontal cortex: towards a comprehensive model linking nocturnal upper airway obstruction to daytime cognitive and behavioral deficits. J Sleep Res, 2002,11(1):1–16
Row BW, Kheirandish L, Neville JJ, et al. Impaired spatial learning and hyperactivity in developing rats exposed to intermittent hypoxia. Pediatr Res, 2002,52(3):449–453
Halbower AC, Degaonkar M, Barker PB, et al. Childhood obstructive sleep apnea associates with neuropsychological deficits and neuronal brain injury. PLoS Med, 2006,3(8):e301
Kennedy JD, Waters KA. Investigation and treatment of upper-airway obstruction: childhood sleep disorders I. Med J Aust, 2005,182(8):419–423
Kohler MJ, Lushington K, Van Den Heuvel CJ, et al. Adenotonsillectomy and neurocognitive deficits in children with sleep disordered breathing. PLoS One, 2009,4(10):e7343
Witmans M, Shafazand S. Adenotonsillectomy or watchful waiting in the management of childhood obstructive sleep apnea. J Clin Sleep Med, 2013,9(11):1225–1227
Venekamp RP, Hearne BJ, Chandrasekharan D, et al. Tonsillectomy or adenotonsillectomy versus non-surgical management for obstructive sleep-disordered breathing in children. Cochrane Database Syst Rev, 2015, 14 (10):CD011165
Marcus CL, Moore RH, Rosen CL, et al. A randomized trial of adenotonsillectomy for childhood sleep apnea. N Engl J Med, 2013,368(25):2366–2376
Bar A, Tarasiuk A, Segev Y, et al. The effect of adenotonsillectomy on serum insulin-like growth factor-I and growth in children with obstructive sleep apnea syndrome. J Pediatr, 1999,135(1):76–80
Tal A, Leiberman A, Margulis G, et al. Ventricular dysfunction in children with obstructive sleep apnea: radionuclide assessment. Pediatr Pulmonol, 1988,4(3):139–143
Stradling JR, Thomas G, Warley AR, et al. Effect of adenotonsillectomy on nocturnal hypoxaemia, sleep disturbance, and symptoms in snoring children. Lancet, 1990,335(8684):249–253
Suen JS, Arnold JE, Brooks LJ. Adenotonsillectomy for treatment of obstructive sleep apnea in children. Arch Otolaryngol Head Neck Surg, 1995,121(5):525–530
Goldstein NA, Fatima M, Campbell TF, et al. Child behavior and quality of life before and after tonsillectomy and adenoidectomy. Arch Otolaryngol Head Neck Surg, 2002,128(7):770–775
Giordani B, Hodges EK, Guire KE, et al. Changes in neuropsychological and behavioral functioning in children with and without obstructive sleep apnea following Tonsillectomy. J Int Neuropsychol Soc, 2012,18(2):212–222
Pan YY, Deng Y, Xu X, et al. Effects of continuous positive airway pressure on cognitive deficits in middle-aged patients with obstructive sleep apnea syndrome: A meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials. Chin Med J, 2015,128(17):2365–2373
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Additional information
This work was supported by the Natural Science Foundation of China (No. 81471200).
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Yu, Y., Chen, Yx., Liu, L. et al. Neuropsychological functioning after adenotonsillectomy in children with obstructive sleep apnea: A meta-analysis. J. Huazhong Univ. Sci. Technol. [Med. Sci.] 37, 453–461 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11596-017-1756-2
Received:
Revised:
Published:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11596-017-1756-2