[Study on the effects of adenoid-tonsillar operation in infants under 2 years of age].

Infants with upper airway obstruction caused by adenotonsillar hypertrophy often suffer from sudden death. We have performed adenotonsillar operations on patients under 2 years of age. These infants had sleep apnea, dyspnea, poor increase of body weight or cardiac hypertrophy. This is a report on a clinical study on these infants. Between October 1988 and February 1998 eighteen patients under 2 years of age (17 boys and one girl) had an adenotonsillar operation in our hospital. Three had adenotomy and two had adenotomy and one-sided tonsillectomy. The remaining thirteen patients had adenotonsillectomy. During the post operative period, all showed remarkable improvement in sleep apnea and dyspnea with the exception of four patients in whom reoperation was required because sleep apnea was brought on again by adenoid rehypertrophy and tonsillar hypertrophy. Based on this study, we conclude that adenotonsillectomy is effective in infants with sleep apnea or dyspnea caused by adenotonsillar hypertrophy.