SynthesisPediatrics2017
Tonsillectomy for Obstructive Sleep-Disordered Breathing: A Meta-analysis.
Synthesis in Pediatrics, 2017. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 22 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
22 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it, 81 citations in OpenAlex.
- Revisiting the efficiency and necessity of adenotonsillectomy in children with mild obstructive sleep apnea: a systematic review and meta-analysis.European archives of oto-rhino-laryngology : official journal of the European Federation of Oto-Rhino-Laryngological Societies (EUFOS) : affiliated with the German Society for Oto-Rhino-Laryngology - Head and Neck Surgery · 2025Pooled it
- Adenotonsillectomy for Snoring and Mild Sleep Apnea in Children: A Randomized Clinical Trial.JAMA · 2023Trial
- Postoperative morbidity after adenotonsillectomy versus adenopharyngoplasty in young children with obstructive sleep apnea: an RCT.European archives of oto-rhino-laryngology : official journal of the European Federation of Oto-Rhino-Laryngological Societies (EUFOS) : affiliated with the German Society for Oto-Rhino-Laryngology - Head and Neck Surgery · 2020Trial
- Effectiveness of Adenotonsillectomy vs Watchful Waiting in Young Children With Mild to Moderate Obstructive Sleep Apnea: A Randomized Clinical Trial.JAMA otolaryngology-- head & neck surgery · 2020Trial
- Changes in Body Mass Index Following Pediatric Tonsillectomy for Obstructive Sleep Apnea.Cureus · 2026Article
- The Effect of Adenotonsillectomy on Sleep Efficiency in Pediatric Patients.Laryngoscope investigative otolaryngology · 2026Article
- Article
- Comparison of Post-Tonsillectomy Hemorrhage Rate After Different Tonsillectomy Techniques: Systematic Review and Meta Analysis.Clinics and practice · 2025Review
- The role of orthodontists in the multidisciplinary management of obstructive sleep apnea.Progress in orthodontics · 2024Review
- International Consensus Statement on Obstructive Sleep Apnea.International forum of allergy & rhinology · 2023Review
- Behavioral and emotional characteristics of Canadian children with obesity and moderate-severe sleep-disordered breathing treated with positive airway pressure: longitudinal changes and associations with adherence.Journal of clinical sleep medicine : JCSM : official publication of the American Academy of Sleep Medicine · 2023Article
- You Cannot Hit Snooze on OSA: Sequelae of Pediatric Obstructive Sleep Apnea.Children (Basel, Switzerland) · 2022Review
- The relationship between sleep and depression and bipolar disorder in children and young people.BJPsych open · 2022Review
- Pediatric Obstructive Sleep Apnea: What's in a Name?Advances in experimental medicine and biology · 2022Article
- [The treatment progress of obstructive sleep apnea in children].Lin chuang er bi yan hou tou jing wai ke za zhi = Journal of clinical otorhinolaryngology head and neck surgery · 2021Review
- Paediatrics: how to manage obstructive sleep apnoea syndrome.Drugs in context · 2021Review
- Nuclear factor kappa B activation in cardiomyocytes by serum of children with obstructive sleep apnea syndrome.Scientific reports · 2020Article
- Review
- Letter to the editor "Associations among sleep symptoms, physical examination, and polysomnographic findings in children with obstructive sleep apnea".European archives of oto-rhino-laryngology : official journal of the European Federation of Oto-Rhino-Laryngological Societies (EUFOS) : affiliated with the German Society for Oto-Rhino-Laryngology - Head and Neck Surgery · 2020Article
- The effect of tonsillectomy on obstructive sleep apnea: an overview of systematic reviews.Nature and science of sleep · 2018Review
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
6 authors at 3 institutions in 1 country.
Funding
Abstract
contextThe effectiveness of tonsillectomy or adenotonsillectomy (hereafter, "tonsillectomy") for obstructive sleep-disordered breathing (OSDB) compared with watchful waiting with supportive care is poorly understood.
objectiveTo compare sleep, cognitive or behavioral, and health outcomes of tonsillectomy versus watchful waiting with supportive care in children with OSDB. DATA SOURCES: Medline, Embase, and the Cochrane Library. STUDY SELECTION: Two investigators independently screened studies against predetermined criteria. DATA EXTRACTION: Two investigators independently extracted key data. Investigators independently assessed study risk of bias and the strength of the evidence of the body of literature. Investigators synthesized data qualitatively and meta-analyzed apnea-hypopnea index (AHI) scores.
resultsWe included 11 studies. Relative to watchful waiting, most studies reported better sleep-related outcomes in children who had a tonsillectomy. In 5 studies including children with polysomnography-confirmed OSDB, AHI scores improved more in children receiving tonsillectomy versus surgery. A meta-analysis of 3 studies showed a 4.8-point improvement in the AHI in children who underwent tonsillectomy compared with no surgery. Sleep-related quality of life and negative behaviors (eg, anxiety and emotional lability) also improved more among children who had a tonsillectomy. Changes in executive function were not significantly different. The length of follow-up in studies was generally <12 months. LIMITATIONS: Few studies fully categorized populations in terms of severity of OSDB; outcome measures were heterogeneous; and the durability of outcomes beyond 12 months is not known.
conclusionsTonsillectomy can produce short-term improvement in sleep outcomes compared with no surgery in children with OSDB. Understanding of longer-term outcomes or effects in subpopulations is lacking.
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What OpenQuestion holds
Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.