Adenotonsillar hypertrophy: Does it correlate with obstructive symptoms in children?
OBJECTIVE
The goal of this study is to determine the correlation of clinical symptoms of UAO (upper airway obstruction) with radiographic evaluation of adenoidal obstruction and tonsil size in children with adenotonsillar hypertrophy and to evaluate the usefulness of lateral neck radiography.


METHODS
Prospective study.


METHODS
Haydarpaşa Numune Research and Education Hospital, Istanbul, Turkey.


METHODS
This study analyses 95 children with one or more of the symptoms of UAO. Clinical symptoms were assessed by a standardized questionnaire evaluating the severity of symptoms. All patients underwent otolaryngologic examination and their tonsil sizes were graded. 74 of 95 patients underwent digital lateral soft tissue radiographs. Assessment of nasopharyngeal obstruction in radiographs was done according to four different methods.


RESULTS
We did not find statistically siginificant correlation between symptom scores and radiologic measurements according to Johanneson (r=0.072, p=0.544, p>0.05) and Crepeau (r=0.034, p=0.773, p>0.05). The correlations between OSA score and Cohen and Konak's method and AN ratio were weak and not statistically siginificant (p=0.133, r=0.176; p=0.290, r=0.125 respectively; p>0.05). But, we found a statistically siginificant correlation between the tonsil grade and symptom scores (r=0.216, p=0.036, p<0.05).


CONCLUSIONS
Our results have demonstrated that radiologic measurements of the nasopharyngeal obstruction do not correlate with clinical symptoms of UAO, but clinical assessment of tonsil size does.
Toros
Sema Zer
SZ
Deparment of Otorhinolaryngology/Head and Neck Surgery, Haydarpaşa Numune Educational and Research Hospital, Istanbul, Turkey. semazertoros@yahoo.com
Noşeri
Hülya
H
Ertugay
Ciğdem Kalaycık
CK
Külekçi
Semra
S
Habeşoğlu
Tülay Erden
TE
Kılıçoğlu
Gamze
G
Yılmaz
Gökalp
G
Egeli
Erol
E
D000233:Adenoidectomy; D000234:Adenoids / Q000473:pathology* / Q000601:surgery; D000402:Airway Obstruction / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000209:etiology; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D003657:Decision Making; D006801:Humans; D006984:Hypertrophy / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging; D007223:Infant; D014066:Palatine Tonsil / Q000473:pathology*; D011859:Radiography; D012720:Severity of Illness Index