Adenoid hypertrophy, craniofacial morphology in apneic children

PurposeEvaluation of the correlation between adenoid hypertrophy, airway space, craniofacial morphology, and apnea–hypopnea index (AHI).MethodsFor the study, 21 children with obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) between 6 and 10 years of age (48% female) and 22 nasal breathing (control group, CG) children between 6 and 9 years of age (45% female) were included. Using the cephalometric analyses, 14 craniofacial measurements, four pharyngeal widths, and two adenoidal measurements were assessed. The t-test was used to detect significant differences in the craniofacial and airway space measurements between the groups. Pearson's correlation was used to correlate the cephalometric data and AHI.ResultsThe two craniofacial measurements were different between the groups. AFAi (p = 0.0407) increased in the OSA group and the ramus length was shorter in the CG (p = 0.030). The adenoid increased in OSA (Ad2-So p = 0.0028; Ad1-Ba p = 0.0021), while the airway space decreased (PPW1 p = 0.0084; t-ppw p = 0.0056; PSA, p = 0.001). A correlation was observed in both Ad2-So-AHI (R2 = 0.21; p = 0.037) and PPW1-AHI (R2 = 0.21; p = 0.035).ConclusionsFew alterations in the craniofacial measurements were found; however, hypertrophy of the lymphoid tissues and airway space obstruction were observed. There was a correlation among the enlargement of lymphoid tissue, the airway space, and the AHI values. This study indicated that the narrowing of the airway space was more influenced by changes in soft tissue.