OTO: Weight Gain after Adenotonsillectomy

This podcast highlights original research published in the April 2015 issue of Otolaryngology - Head and Neck Surgery, the official journal of the American Academy of Otolaryngology - Head and Neck Surgery (AAO-HNS) Foundation. Editor in chief John Krouse is joined by lead author Travis Lewis and associate editor Cristina Baldassari in discussing the issue of weight gain among patients who have undergone adenotonsillectomy. Adenotonsillectomy remains a commonly performed operative procedure for both obstructive sleep apnea and recurrent infection.  Change in weight following surgery has been discussed for many years, with recent evidence suggesting that some patients gain weight following removal of the tonsils.  The current paper further investigates this clinical issue to try to determine the effective of adenotonsillar surgery on weight, height, and BMI.  In this study, the authors utilized a case control methodology in which 154 patients undergoing adenotonsillectomy were compared with 182 demographically matched children enrolled in primary care practices over a two-year period.  The authors noted that at each 6-month assessment, children who underwent adenotonsillectomy gained more weight than matched nonsurgical controls.  In addition, obese children gained significantly greater amounts of weight following surgery than did nonobese children at 12-, 18-, and 24-months.  The authors discuss the implications of their findings, especially the observation of significant weight gain among obese children after adenotonsillectomy, for clinical practice, patient counseling and further research.   Click here to read the full article.