Sleep-Disordered Breathing and Clinical Presentation in Infants with Congenital Laryngomalacia: A Polysomnographic Study

TL;DR

This study shows that sleep-disordered breathing in infants with laryngomalacia worsens with disease severity and improves after surgery.

Contribution

The study provides objective PSG data linking LM severity to sleep-disordered breathing and surgical outcomes.

Findings

Type III LM infants had the highest apnea-hypopnea index and oxygen desaturation index before surgery.

Surgery significantly reduced sleep-disordered breathing and improved oxygen levels in severe LM cases.

Feeding difficulties and mixed apnea types were more common in higher LM severity subtypes.

Abstract

Background/Objectives: Congenital laryngomalacia (LM) is the most common cause of stridor in infants, presenting with a clinical spectrum that ranges from benign, self-limiting symptoms to severe airway obstruction. This study aimed to objectively characterize the type and severity of sleep-disordered breathing in infants with LM using polysomnography (PSG) and to correlate findings with LM subtypes, clinical presentation, and type of surgical intervention. Methods: A cohort of 42 infants diagnosed with LM (Type I: n = 14, Type II: n = 18, Type III: n = 10) underwent overnight PSG before surgical treatment. The Apnea–Hypopnea Index (AHI), Oxygen Desaturation Index (ODI), minimum and mean SpO2, and heart rate were recorded. Clinical features (stridor, feeding difficulties, respiratory effort) and type of surgery (supraglottoplasty [S] or supraglottoplasty with epiglottopexy [S + E]) were analyzed across LM subtypes. Results: Baseline AHI was significantly higher in LM Type III (25.41 ± 6.95 events/h) compared with Type II (12.50 ± 5.05) and Type I (2.84 ± 1.96; p < 0.001). After surgery, AHI decreased to 1.76 ± 1.56 in Type III and 0.97 ± 0.70 in Type II. ODI showed a similar trend (Type III: 9.87 ± 5.99 before vs. 0.78 ± 0.69 after surgery; p < 0.001). Minimum SpO2 increased from 69.50 ± 7.76% to 93.60 ± 1.82% in Type III (p < 0.001). Feeding difficulties were observed in 100% of Type III patients, compared with 83.3% of Type II and 42.9% of Type I patients. The distribution of apnea type differed significantly across groups (p < 0.001), with mixed obstructive–central apnea predominating in Type III. Conclusions: Polysomnography is an effective and objective tool for assessing LM severity and guiding surgical qualification. Increasing LM severity is associated with more pronounced PSG abnormalities, greater clinical burden, and a higher likelihood of requiring advanced surgical correction.

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