Defining the Surgical Limits of Adenoidectomy so as to Prevent Recurrence of Adenoids

Effects of visual guidance and instrument choice on symptom recurrence following adenoidectomy: a systematic review of randomized controlled trials

Objectives

To assess the impact of visual guidance and instrument choice on obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) and otitis media with effusion (OME) symptom recurrence and reoperation rates following adenoidectomy in pediatric patients.

Design

Systematic review of randomized controlled trials (RCTs).

Setting

A comprehensive literature search was conducted in Embase, PubMed/Medline, the Cochrane Library, and Scopus, with the final search on September 23, 2024. Reference lists were also screened.

Participants

Eligible studies included RCTs published from 2000 onwards, with ≥25 pediatric patients undergoing adenoidectomy for OSA or OME. Comparisons included visually guided versus blinded and cold versus hot adenoidectomy techniques. Studies involving concurrent procedures, craniofacial abnormalities, or non-primary adenoidectomy cases were excluded.

Main outcome measures

The primary outcomes were OSA and OME symptom recurrence and reoperation rates following adenoidectomy. Risk of bias was assessed using Cochrane Risk of Bias tool, and evidence quality was evaluated using Grading of Recommendations Assessment, Development and Evaluation.

Results

Of 2302 screened articles, 35 underwent full-text review, and 4r studies (373 participants) met inclusion criteria. All studies compared hot and cold techniques, with hot techniques being visually guided. Only one study directly compared both hot and cold techniques under visual guidance, reporting lower OSA recurrence rates with the hot technique, though with a high risk of bias. Other studies found no significant differences, and none reported reoperation rates. Study heterogeneity prevented meta-analysis. Overall risk of bias and evidence quality were moderate.

Conclusions

There is insufficient evidence to determine whether visual guidance reduces symptom recurrence following adenoidectomy. Further high-quality RCTs are needed to provide more sound conclusions.

PROSPERO registration number

CRD42024513408.

[Strategies for preventing postoperative recurrence of adenoid hypertrophy]

Adenoid hypertrophy is a common disease in pediatric otorhinolaryngology. Surgical resection is the main treatment at present, but many children still face the risk of postoperative recurrence or even secondary surgery. In order to reduce the postoperative recurrence rate and provide reference information for clinical medical staff and parents of the children, this review was carried out to analyze the domestic and foreign pertinent literature in recent years and put forward overall prevention strategies base on the related factors of recurrence.

The Comparison between Microdebrider Assisted Adenoidectomy and Coblation Adenoidectomy: Analyzing the Intraoperative Parameters and Post-operative Recovery

Microdebrider adenoidectomy and Coblation adenoidectomy are the two new techniques available for adenoidectomy these days. The advantages of endoscopic power assisted adenoidectomy over cold steel adenoidectomy has been well established in the literature. As adenoidectomy is one of the most common paediatric surgical procedure there is always a concern to improve the outcomes and make postoperative experience more pleasant for the paediatric population. Cost difference between a coblator wand and microdebrider blade is always a confounding factor in decision making. The present study was conducted to compare both the techniques of adenoidectomy in terms of certain intraoperative and post operative parameters. The present study was a prospective randomized single blind study conducted in a university hospital on 140 subjects. The patients diagnosed with chronic adenoiditis grade 3-4 were randomly allocated in two groups after following the exclusion and inclusion criteria. the adenoidectomy in two groups; Microdebrider group and Coblation group were compared in terms of intraoperative time, post operative pain score; intraoperative bleeding, surgical field and some common complications. The data was analysed for significance by various statistical tests. The average adenoid size operated in both groups was Grade 3. The intraoperative time taken to complete the procedure in group A was 12.78 ± 3.8 min and in group B was 22 ± 3.3 min with p value < 0.05. There was statistically significant difference in grade of Intraoperative Bleeding in both groups with mean grade of intraoperative bleeding being 1.4 ± 1.04 in group B and 3.5 ± 0.9 in Group A. The surgical field was poor to average in 33 cases (n = 70) in group A as compared to only 1 case (n = 70) in group B; the difference being statistically significant. The average post-operative pain score was 2.69 ± 0.99 and 1.17 ± 1.1 after post-operatively 24 h and 72 h respectively in group B; 7.14 ± 0.99 and 4.08 ± 1.42 respectively in group A. The p value for the same was < 0.05. However there was no statistically significant difference between two groups in terms of any complications or completeness of removal. Though both the techniques are highly efficacious in adenoid removal and low complication rate in our study but still more studies with large sample size are encouraged to validate these results and establish the comparative efficacy of both the techniques in terms of the intraoperative parameters as well as post-operative recovery along with recurrence rates.

Drug Induced Sleep Endoscopy Identification of Adenoid Regrowth in Pediatric Obstructive Sleep Apnea

Objective

To establish the incidence and possible contributing factors leading to adenoid regrowth in children with pediatric sleep apnea using drug induced sleep endoscopy (DISE).

Methods

Children treated for obstructive sleep apnea following previous adenoidectomy were evaluated using DISE. Adenoid regrowth was scored by the same attending physician using a 5-point grading scale. Age, sex, body mass index (BMI) percent for age, polysomnogram results, initial adenoid size before adenoidectomy, and postoperative complications were evaluated.

Results

Fifty-six patients (age range 22 months to 16 years) met inclusion criteria. Twenty-five children (44.6%) had Grade 2 adenoid or larger. Mean age at the time of DISE was 7.11 years, with an average of 1.75 years since initial adenoidectomy. Mean preadenoidectomy size based on intraoperative nasopharyngeal mirror assessment was Grade 2.55 (95% CI 2.30–2.79). Adenoid size at time of sleep endoscopy was Grade 1.64 (95% CI 1.30–1.98). Characteristics associated with adenoid regrowth were higher body mass index for age percentile at time of endoscopy (P < 0.05), initial adenoid size (P < 0.01), and time between initial adenoidectomy and endoscopy (P = 0.05).

Conclusions

Body mass index for age percentile, initial adenoid size, and time between initial adenoidectomy and drug induced sleep endoscopy correlate with regrowth in childhood obstructive sleep apnea.

Adenoidectomy in Children: What Is the Evidence and What Is its Role?

Purpose of Review

Review the current state of the adenoidectomy procedure in the pediatric population with up-to-date indications for surgery, operative techniques, adverse events, non-surgical management of adenoid hypertrophy, and future directions.

Recent Findings

Adenoidectomy is indicated in children for the treatment of sleep-disordered breathing, nasal airway obstruction, recurrent acute otitis media, and chronic rhinosinusitis. A new recommendation was released in 2016, not supporting adenoidectomy for a primary indication of otitis media in children under 4 years old, including those with prior tympanostomy tubes, unless a distinct indication exists such as nasal obstruction or chronic adenoiditis. Although adenotonsillectomy is the mainstay of treatment for obstructive sleep apnea (OSA), recent studies have identified that non-obese patients with moderate OSA and small tonsils have comparable benefits with adenoidectomy alone with less complications. While conventional approaches such as indirect mirror-assisted curette and suction coagulation are still utilized, direct transnasal endoscope-assisted removal of the adenoids has proven to be a safe technique, with good short- and long-term outcomes. Novel non-surgical therapies including immunotherapy have been evaluated.

Summary

Adenoidectomy is a safe procedure in the pediatric population and leads to excellent outcomes. Adverse events are rare, and hospitalization is uncommon. Children with sleep disturbance from nasal airway obstruction, ear disease, or chronic rhinosinusitis are the best operative candidates for this procedure.