Re: enuretic children with obstructive sleep apnea syndrome: should they see otolaryngology first?
Editorial Comment: The authors reviewed 648 children 5 to 18 years old with obstructive sleep apnea syndrome who underwent tonsillectomy and/or adenoidectomy (T&A) between 2008 and 2010. The authors contacted 417 patients, of whom 101 had enuresis before T&A as defined by telephone questionnaire. Of those with enuresis before T&A enuresis persisted in 52 and resolved in 49. The authors conclude that about a quarter of children with obstructive sleep apnea syndrome who undergo T&A for the release of the upper airway obstruction have associated nocturnal enuresis. In this series a favorable therapeutic effect on enuresis was present in about 50% of these children following surgery. The probability of resolution decreased if the child was premature, was obese or had a family history of nocturnal enuresis.