Intranasales Kortikosteroide für nasal Atemwegsobstruktion bei Kindern mit mittelschwerer bis schwerer adenoider Hypertrophie

BACKGROUND: This is an update of a Cochrane Review first published in The Cochrane Library in Issue 3, 2008. Adenoidal hypertrophy is generally considered a common condition of childhood. When obstructive sleep apnoea or cardio-respiratory syndrome occurs, adenoidectomy is generally indicated. In less severe cases, non-surgical interventions may be considered, however few medical alternatives are currently available. Intranasal steroids may be used to reduce nasal airway obstruction. OBJECTIVES: To assess the efficacy of intranasal corticosteroids for improving nasal airway obstruction in children with moderate to severe adenoidal hypertrophy. SEARCH STRATEGY: We searched the Cochrane Ear, Nose and Throat Disorders Group Trials Register; the Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials (CENTRAL); MEDLINE; EMBASE; ISI Web of Science; Cambridge Scientific Abstracts; ISRCTN and additional sources for published and unpublished trials. The date of the most recent search was 4 May 2010. SELECTION CRITERIA: Randomised controlled trials comparing intranasal corticosteroids with placebo, no intervention or other treatment in children aged 0 to 12 years with moderate to severe adenoidal hypertrophy. DATA COLLECTION AND ANALYSIS: Two authors independently extracted data from the included trials and assessed trial quality. Meta-analysis was not applicable and we summarised data in a narrative format. MAIN RESULTS: Six randomised trials involving a total of 394 patients were included. Five of the six trials demonstrated a significant efficacy of intranasal corticosteroids in improving nasal obstruction symptoms and in reducing adenoid size. The first eight-week cross-over study showed that treatment with beclomethasone (336 mcg/day) yielded a greater improvement in mean symptom scores than placebo (-18.5 versus -8.5, P < 0.05) and a larger reduction in mean adenoid/choana ratio than placebo (right, -14% versus +0.4%, P = 0.002; left, -15% versus -2.0%, P = 0.0006) between week 0 and week 4. The second four-week cross-over study showed that the Nasal Obstruction Index decreased by at least 50% from baseline in 38% of patients treated with beclomethasone (400 mcg/day) between week 0 and week 2, whereas none of the patients treated with placebo had such improvement (P < 0.01). The third parallel-group trial showed that 77.7% of patients treated with mometasone (100 mcg/day) for 40 days demonstrated an improvement in nasal obstruction symptoms and a decrease in adenoid size, such that adenoidectomy could be avoided, whereas no significant improvement was observed in the placebo group. The fourth parallel-group trial showed that eight weeks of treatment with flunisolide (500 mcg/day) was associated with a larger reduction in adenoid size than isotonic saline solution (P < 0.05). The fifth parallel-group trial demonstrated that eight weeks of treatment with fluticasone (400 mcg/day) significantly reduced nasal obstruction symptoms and adenoid size, and adenoidectomy was avoided in 76% of these patients compared with 20% of the patients treated with normal saline (P < 0.05). In contrast, one parallel-group trial did not find a significant improvement in nasal obstruction symptoms nor adenoid size after eight weeks of treatment with beclomethasone (200 mcg/day). AUTHORS' CONCLUSIONS: Current evidence suggests that intranasal corticosteroids may significantly improve nasal obstruction symptoms in children with moderate to severe adenoidal hypertrophy, and this improvement may be associated with a reduction in adenoid size. The long-term efficacy of intranasal corticosteroids in these patients remains to be defined.