Tonsillectomy for Obstructive Sleep-Disordered Breathing or Recurrent Throat Infection in Children: Summary of AHRA Comparative Effectiveness Review.

Tonsillectomy or adenotonsillectomy (“tonsillectomy”) represent more than 15 percent of all surgical procedures in children under the age of 15 years. 2 The primary indication for tonsillectomy has shifted over the last 20 years from recurrent throat infections to obstructive sleep-disordered breathing (OSDB) and obstructive sleep apnea (OSA). 4 Widely variable national and small area tonsillectomy rates are well-documented. In their seminal study, Wennberg and Gittlesohn found rates of tonsillectomy varied almost 12-fold across adjacent counties in rural Vermont with similar populations. Variation in rates continue despite improved evidence and dissemination about indications.