Relationship between size of pharyngeal and palatine tonsils and apnea–hypopnea index in pediatric obstructive sleep apnea

Objective: To determine whether the combination of the pharyngeal tonsil grade and palatine tonsil grade results in differences in the apnea–hypopnea index (AHI) and to determine whether each parameter separately (pharyngeal tonsil grade and palatine tonsil grade) results in differences in severe obstructive sleep apnea (OSA). Methods: This cross-sectional study involved 107 children (mean age, 7.2 years; range, 4–12 years) suspected of having OSA because of snoring or sleep-related complaints. The patients underwent polysomnography, and their palatine and pharyngeal tonsils were graded. Results: In examining whether the palatine tonsils and pharyngeal tonsils could be risk factors for severe OSA, the adjusted odds ratios were 4.42 for palatine tonsil grade 4 versus 1–3 and 10.40 for pharyngeal tonsil grade 4 versus 1–3; both were highly statistically significant. We also found that the AHI when both the pharyngeal and palatine tonsils were grade 4 was higher than the AHI expected for the pharyngeal and palatine tonsils alone. Conclusions: The combination of grade 4 pharyngeal tonsils and grade 4 palatine tonsils resulted in an AHI much higher than the AHI of other combinations (pharyngeal tonsils grades 1–3 and 4, palatine tonsils grades 1–3 and 4). We believe that grade 4 pharyngeal tonsils and grade 4 palatine tonsils have a great influence on severe OSA and that grade 4 pharyngeal tonsils increase the AHI.