Lin CY, et al. - Authors sought to determine if the upper airway structures can be assessed using head and neck ultrasonography and whether there is a relationship between the ultrasonographic measurements for these structures and severity of obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) seen on polysomnography in children. In childhood sleep-disordered breathing, they noted no association of estimated tonsillar volume measured using ultrasonography with the apnea-hypopnea index. Nonetheless, they noted significantly thicker lateral pharyngeal wall in children with OSA than in those with primary snoring at rest.

Methods

• Experts conducted a prospective, single-center, observational study of 82 children younger than 18 years with a diagnosis of sleep-disordered breathing (20 with primary snoring, 62 with OSA, as determined by the apnea-hypopnea index) and admitted to a tertiary teaching hospital for adenotonsillectomy.
• Exposures included ultrasonography and polysomnography.
• Ultrasonographic measurements of upper airway structures were included in the main outcomes and measures.

Results

• As per data, out of the 82 children studied, 62 (76%) were boys; mean (SD) age, 7.7 (6.2).
• In tonsillar dimensions or volume between the children with OSA and those with primary snoring, no significant difference found.
• Nonetheless, in children with OSA, the mean (SD) total lateral pharyngeal wall and the total neck thicknesses at the retropalatal level were both greater vs those with primary snoring at rest (24.9 [4.4] mm vs 21.3 [2.6] mm; difference, 3.61 mm; 95% CI of difference, 1.48-5.74 mm for lateral pharyngeal wall; and 59.9 [14.4] mm vs 49.9 [11.2] mm; difference, 10.9 mm, 95% CI of difference, 3.8-17.9 mm for the total neck).