Objective: To explore the role of acoustic rhinometry in the diagnosis of children with obstructive sleep apnea-hypopnea syndrome (OSAHS).
Method: Thirty-six patients with OSAHS were measured with acoustic rhinometry before and 1 month after adenoidectomy. Twenty patients with adenoidectomy were measured before and after operation, the changes in volume recorded by acoustic rhinometry were compared with the adenoid volume obtained by the method of "drain off the water".
Result: The volume of nasopharynx of adenoid removal patients was significantly bigger than that of before operation. The adenoid volume of 20 patients obtained by the method of "drain off the water" was bigger than the calculated changes in nasopharynx volume recorded by acoustic rhinometry, however, they were found to be significantly interrelated.
Conclusion: Acoustic rhinometry is a better method to calculate the size of adenoid in children with OSAHS and it could become a routine examination before adenoidectomy.