Objective To compare the effects of total tonsillectomy (TE) and partial tonsillectomy (TT) in the treatment of obstructive sleep apnea hypopnea syndrome in children (OSAHS). Methods A total of 200 children with OSAHS treated in Jiangxi Children′s Hospital from January 2021 to June 2021 were analyzed retrospectively. They were divided into control group (140 cases) and observation group (60 cases). The children in the two groups were assisted by lowtemperature plasma. The children in the control group were treated with TE and the children in the observation group were treated with TT. The surgical effect, sleep quality, apnea index (AH), hypopnea index (HI), respiratory event related microawakefulness index (MAI), blood gas index and incidence of complications of the two groups were compared.Results There was no significant difference in the total effective rate between the two groups (P＞0.05). After operation,the score of specific quality of life questionnaire (OSA-18) in the observation group was lower than that in the control group, the difference was statistically significant (P＜0.05). AHI, HI and MAI indexes in the observation group were lower than those in the control group, the differences were statistically significant (P＜0.05). After operation, the pH value and arterial partial pressure of oxygen (PaO2) in the observation group were higher than those in the control group, the differences were statistically significant (P＜0.05). The incidence of complications in the observation group was lower than in the control group, the difference was statistically significant (P＜0.05). Conclusion TT is effective for children with OSAHS, with less bleeding, less pain and fewer complications.