French Society of ENT (SFORL) guidelines (short version) on the roles of the various treatment options in childhood obstructive sleep apnea-hypopnea syndrome

Objective: The authors present the guidelines of the French Society of ENT and Head & Neck Surgery (SFORL) on the role of the ENT physician in childhood obstructive sleep apnea-hypopnea syndrome (OSAHS). This section of the guidelines concerns the roles of the various medical and surgical treatment options.

Method: A multidisciplinary work-group was entrusted with a review of the scientific literature on the topic. Based on the retrieved articles and the group members' own experience, guidelines were drawn up, then read over by a reading group independent of the work-group. An editorial meeting then produced the final text.

Results: Adenotonsillectomy is the reference treatment for childhood OSAHS with adenotonsillar hypertrophy. Respiratory assistance is recommended in children with severe OSAHS without nasal and/or oropharyngeal obstacle, after surgery in case of persistent OSAHS, in case of contraindications to surgery, in complex obstruction related to pharyngolaryngeal or laryngeal pathology or comorbidity, or as an alternative to tracheotomy. Nasal route corticosteroids may be used in childhood OSAHS in with associated nasal obstruction.