Abstract

Objective: The objective of this study is to investigate the impact of adenotonsillectomy on the neuropsychology of children using the Turgay DSM-IV-Based Child and Adolescent Disruptive Behavioral Disorders Screening and Rating Scale (T-DSM-IV-Scale).

Materials And Methods: Thirty children admitted to an otolaryngology clinic for treatment of sleep-disordered breathing or recurrent tonsillitis and who underwent adenotonsillectomy were included the study. All parents completed the T-DSM-IV-Scale before surgery and after 3 months of surgery. The T-DSM-IV-Scale consists of four subscales: inattention, hyperactivity, oppositional-defiant disorders, and conduct disorders. SPSS 15 por Windows was used to evaluate the datas.

Results: Of the 30 children, 17 (56.7%) were boys and13 (43.3 %) were girls. The age range was between four and fourteen years, and the mean age was 6.6±2.6 years. The most common complaints of the children in their first admission to the otorhinolaryngology clinic were snoring (n = 25, or 83.3%), breathing from the mouth (n = 25, or 83.3%), stuffiness (n = 16, or 53.3%), post-nasal drip (n = 15, or 50%), halitosis (n = 14, or 46.7%), and odontoprisis (n = 12, or 40%). We found a statistically significant difference between the mean scores of the inattention, hyperactivity, oppositional-defiant disorders, and conduct disorder sub-scales of T-DSM-IV-Scale before and three months post-tonsillectomy ( P<0.05 ).

Conclusion: In SDB inattention, hyperactivity and other neurobehavioral problems can be seen. This may cause a delay in accurate diagnosis and treatment. Children having neurobehavioral problems such as inattention, hyperactivity, oppositional-defiant disorders, and conduct disorder symptoms can be assessed for sleep-disordered breathing. After adenotonsillectomy, these neurobehavioral problems can improve without psychiatric medication; thus, adenotonsillectomy may have a positive impact on the neurobehavioral problems of children with sleep-disordered breathing.