Objective:To analyze the effects of adenoidectomy, tonsillectomy and tonsillectomy combined with adenoidectomy on obstructive sleep apnea children by computational fluid dynamics numerical simulation. Methods:A case of typical tonsil with adenoid hypertrophy was selected. Mimics 21.0 software was used to establish the original preoperative model, adenoidectomy, tonsillectomy and virtual surgical models of tonsillectomy combined adenoidectomy, and the computational fluid dynamics model of the upper airway was established by ANSYS 2019 R1 software, and then the pressure and velocity of the internal flow field of the CFD model were numerically simulated. Seven planes perpendicular to the flow trace were selected as the observation planes, including the cross section of the sinusostoma complex, the anterior end of the adenoid body, the narrowest cross section of the nasopharyngeal cavity, the pharyngostoma tube, the narrowest cross section of the oropharyngeal cavity, the lower pole of the tonsil and the glottis section. The comparison indexes included pressure, flow velocity and flow distribution. Results:Compared with the original model before operation, after the adenoids were removed only, the pressure drop between the section of the ostiomeatal complex and the section of the eustachian tube decreased, the high velocity peak at the anterior end of the adenoids disappeared, and the flow trace through the middle nasal canal increased. When only bilateral tonsils were removed, the pressure drop between the eustachian tube and the glottis slowed down and the flow velocity between the eustachian tube and the glottis slowed down. Combined tonsillar-adenoidectomy resulted in the most uniform pressure distribution, the most gentle pressure change and flow rate in the upper airway, and the most ignificant increase in airflow trace through the middle nasal canal among the three operations. Conclusion:Adenoidectomy, tonsillectomy and combined tonsillar adenoidectomy can make the airflow velocity and pressure of upper respiratory tract uniform to different degrees, but there are obvious differences in the specific anatomical location and degree. The application of CFD can intuitively predict the improvement of upper airway flow field in OSA children by different surgical methods, which helps clinicians to make surgical decision.
Humans ; Sleep Apnea, Obstructive/physiopathology* ; Adenoidectomy/methods* ; Tonsillectomy/methods* ; Child ; Hydrodynamics ; Adenoids/surgery* ; Computer Simulation ; Palatine Tonsil/surgery* ; Software

Objective:To discuss the application of virtual endoscopy in the diagnosis of adenoid hypertrophy and the morphologic classification of adenoid. Methods:The clinical data of 97 children with adenoid hypertrophy admitted to Department of Otorhinolaryngology Head and Neck Surgery, Shenzhen University General Hospital from July 2022 to December 2022 were collected. The virtual endoscopic reconstruction of the nasopharynx was performed by cone beam computed tomography. The results of virtual endoscopic adenoid size measurement were compared with the results of nasopharyngeal CT median sagittal position and nasopharyngeal endoscopy. Virtual endoscopic classification of adenoid based on the size of the adenoids and their relationship with the torus tubarius. Results:The t-test results of the size of adenoids measured by virtual endoscopy and nasopharyngeal CT were t=1.699 and P=0.093, and the results of intra-group correlation coefficient（ICC） analysis were ICC=0.921 and P<0.01. The proportion of adenoids measured by virtual endoscopy and nasopharyngeal CT was highly consistent. The t-test results of the size of adenoids measured virtual endoscopy and nasopharyngeal endoscopy were t=1.543 and P=0.15, and the results of intra-group correlation coefficient（ICC） analysis were ICC=0.900 and P<0.01. The proportion of adenoids measured by virtual endoscopy and nasopharyngeal endoscopy was highly consistent. Among the 97 children, the morphological classification results of adenoids were 48 cases of overall hypertrophy type, 47 cases of central bulge type, and 2 cases of flat thickening type. Conclusion:The diagnosis of adenoid hypertrophy by virtual endoscopy has high accuracy, which not only avoids the invasive operation of traditional nasopharyngeal endoscopy, but also can observe the adenoid condition and its relationship with the torus tubarius from multiple angles. And, the morphological classification of adenoids using virtual endoscopy has guiding significance for perioperative preparation.
Child ; Humans ; Adenoids/surgery* ; Nasopharynx/diagnostic imaging* ; Adenoidectomy ; Endoscopy/methods* ; Hypertrophy/surgery*

Objective:To investigate the changes of inflammation and immune function in children with chronic tonsillitis after tonsillotomy. Methods:Prospectively collected 60 children with obstructive sleep apnea （OSA） diagnosed as chronic tonsillitis with adenoids and tonsillar hypertrophy from January to June 2021. Two groups were divided, the experimental group （n=30） underwent bilateral partial tonsillectomy + adenoidectomy by hypothermia plasma ablation, and the control group （n=30） underwent adenoidectomy by using the same hypothermia plasma ablation method. The number of tonsillitis attacks before surgery and within one year after surgery was recorded, and the serum immunoglobulin IgM, IgG, IgA, complement C3 and complement C4 levels before operation, one month and three months after operation were measured. Results:The number of tonsillitis attacks in the experimental group and the control group at one year after surgery was lower than that before surgery（P<0.05）; The number of inflammatory attacks in the experimental group was （0.50±0.63） times/year, which was lower than that of （1.33±0.80） times/year in the control group. There was no significant difference in the five immunization results of the two groups at one month and three months after operation compared with before operation, and there was also no significant difference between the experimental and the control groups. Conclusion:Partial tonsillectomy can be applied to children with chronic tonsillitis, which can effectively reduce the number of tonsillitis attacks and has no effect on the immune function of children.
Child ; Humans ; Tonsillectomy/methods* ; Hypothermia ; Tonsillitis/surgery* ; Adenoidectomy ; Palatine Tonsil/surgery* ; Inflammation ; Chronic Disease ; Immunity

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: Partial intracapsular tonsillectomy and adenoidectomy (PITA) has become a well-recognized technique for tonsillectomy in children. Several studies have reported that PITA shows better postoperative morbidity compared to the conventional technique. However, there is still concern about the regrowth of remnant tonsil tissues. The authors evaluated the postoperative results of PITA, combined extracapsular and intracapsular tonsillectomy, and conventional tonsillectomy. SUBJECTS AND METHOD: The authors studied 97 children (male: 62, female: 35) aged 2 to 13 years old, who underwent tonsillectomy and adenoidectomy (PITA, combined extracapsular and intracapsular tonsillectomy, and conventional tonsillectomy). The degree of adenotonsillar hypertrophy, apnea-hypopnea index and lowest oxygen saturation was confirmed for all subjects. Operation time, quality of life, scale for postoperative pain, frequency of postoperative bleeding, and recurrence with tonsillar regrowth were compared after surgery performed by different surgical procedures. RESULTS: Regardless of the surgical technique, all the cases presented significant improvement in the quality of life before and after surgery. On the day of surgery and four days after surgery, PITA showed superior results in terms of postoperative pain level compared to the conventional technique. There were no statistically significant results with respect to the operation time and postoperative bleeding. Six months after the surgery, the recurrence of sleep apnea due to the regrowth of remaining tonsil was not obvious. CONCLUSION: Tonsillectomy technique preserving tonsillar capsule may show better results on early postoperative pain. It can be a good alternative to the conventional technique in surgical treatment for pediatric obstructive sleep apnea in terms of early postoperative pain control.
Adenoidectomy ; Child ; Female ; Hemorrhage ; Humans ; Hypertrophy ; Methods ; Oxygen ; Pain, Postoperative ; Palatine Tonsil ; Pediatrics ; Quality of Life ; Recurrence ; Sleep Apnea Syndromes ; Sleep Apnea, Obstructive ; Tonsillectomy

PURPOSE: Obstructive sleep apnea syndrome (OSAS) in young children is frequently caused by adenoid and/or tonsillar hypertrophy. Adenoidectomy is the first operative method for childhood chronic rhinosinusitis (CRS). We investigated factors associated with recurrent rhinosinusitis in preschool aged children with OSAS to determine the association of 2 common diseases. METHODS: One hundred forty-six children aged 2–5 years who were diagnosed as having OSAS after polysomnography between December 2003 and April 2016 were enrolled in this study. Children were divided into 2 groups with and without CRS. The 2 groups were compared in the severity of OSAS and allergy diseases and were evaluated for recurrent rhinosinusitis during the follow-up period, 1 year after diagnosis. RESULTS: Among 108 patients with OSAS who were followed up, 81 patients (75%) were diagnosed with CRS. There were no significant difference clinical and allergic characteristics between groups with and without CRS. However, bronchial asthma and otitis media was significantly more prevalent in patients with CRS than in those without (P=0.045 and P=0.000, respectively). Bronchial asthma and adenotonsillectomy was significantly associated with recurrent rhinosinusitis (P=0.005 and P=0.04, respectively) during the 1-year follow-up. CONCLUSION: Approximately 75% of preschool children with OSAS have suffered from CRS. Bronchial asthma is associated with CRS among OSAS children. Recurrent rhinosinusitis is decreased after adenotonsillectomy, and bronchial asthma is an associated factor for recurrent rhinosinusitis after a follow-up. This close relationship childhood OSAS and recurrent rhinosinusitis/bronchial asthma needs further studies to investigate their role in the association.
Adenoidectomy ; Adenoids ; Asthma ; Child ; Child, Preschool* ; Diagnosis ; Follow-Up Studies ; Humans ; Hypersensitivity ; Hypertrophy ; Methods ; Otitis Media ; Polysomnography ; Rhinitis ; Sinusitis ; Sleep Apnea, Obstructive*

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: This study was performed to evaluate the long-term effect of adenotonsillectomy on childhood growth by examining preoperative growth status and presenting symptoms. SUBJECTS AND METHOD: One hundred and four patients who underwent adenotonsillectomy from January to December 2009 were enrolled in this study. Clinical data were collected from medical record reviews and through the administered questionnaire. We investigated symptoms and growth changes during 5 years following the surgery. RESULTS: The mean age of patients was 6.0±1.94 years (range, 3–10), with the male to female ratio of 62:42. Pre-operative symptoms were significantly improved after the surgery. The mean pre-operative height and weight percentiles were 53.6±27.4 and 59.6±29.2 at initial evaluation, and 67.1±26.4 and 59.6±28.6 at 5 years post adenotonsillectomy (p < 0.001, p=0.989), respectively. An increase in height percentile was more prominent in patients whose pre-operative height percentile was less than 50 compared to those with a percentile of 50 or more (p < 0.001). Weight percentile was significantly increased in those with the pre-operative weight percentile of less than 50 and decreased in patients with a percentile of 50 or more. CONCLUSION: Adenotonsillectomy has a positive effect on height growth in children with adenotonsillar hypertrophy, especially in patients whose height percentile is less than 50. Weight gain also can be expected in preoperative low-weight children.
Adenoidectomy ; Child ; Female ; Humans ; Hypertrophy ; Male ; Medical Records ; Methods ; Tonsillectomy ; Weight Gain

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: Controversy remains regarding whether the age at which patients undergo adenoidectomy is increasing or decreasing. Thus, the aim of this study was to analyze patient age at adenoidectomy over the past 30 years. SUBJECTS AND METHOD: Retrospective analysis of adenoidectomy patients treated between 1984 and 2013 who were confirmed to have adenoid hypertrophy on physical examination and radiologic findings was performed. Patients were divided into three groups by decade, the 1980s, 1990s, and 2000s. The numbers of patients, mean/median age, maximum age, and sex ratio were analyzed for each group. RESULTS: A total of 2,450 patients were enrolled, including 466 cases in the 1980s, 946 in the 1990s, and 1,038 in the 2000s. The mean age of patients was 7.38 years in the 1980s, 8.16 in the 1990s, and 8.37 in the 2000s and has significantly increased since the 1990s (p<0.05). CONCLUSION: The mean age of patients who underwent adenoidectomy has increased over the past 30 years. Therefore, adenoid hypertrophy needs to be considered in children of all ages who visit otorhinolaryngologic departments.
Adenoidectomy* ; Adenoids ; Child ; Humans ; Hypertrophy ; Methods ; Nasal Obstruction ; Physical Examination ; Retrospective Studies ; Sex Ratio

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: Pediatric obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) can have an effect on the quality of life (QOL) such as behavior, school performance, emotional distress and daytime function. We aim to verify changes in sleep disordered breathing based on polysomnographic findings and disease specific health related QOL before and after adenotonsillectomy in Korean children with OSA. SUBJECTS AND METHOD: A total 20 children aged 3 through 13 years old (mean age=6.7 years old and male/female=14/6) with OSA were included. We evaluated respiratory disturbances in patients using the standard polysomnography and the OSA-specific health related QOL based on Korean Obstructive Sleep Apnea-18 Survey (KOSA-18). RESULTS: There were significant improvements in apnea-hypopnea index (from 9.4±7.4 to 1.1±0.8 events/hour, p<0.001) and total score of KOSA-18 (71.3±26.0 to 33.6±10.7, p<0.001) after adenotonsillectomy. CONCLUSION: Sleep disordered breathing and QOL improve significantly after adenotonsillectomy in Korean OSA children.
Adenoidectomy ; Child ; Humans ; Methods ; Polysomnography ; Quality of Life* ; Sleep Apnea Syndromes* ; Sleep Apnea, Obstructive* ; Tonsillectomy

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: Diagnosis by Related Groups (DRG), a system forcibly implemented in all medical institutions from July 2013, was applied to tonsillectomy and adenoidectomy in the field of Otorhinolaryngology. We analyzed the changes in medical costs and evaluated the efficiency of the DRG system by analyzing the data collected before and after the DRG implementation. SUBJECTS AND METHOD: We analyzed the total number of cases, total medical costs and per charge for tonsillectomy and adenoidectomy using the data from the Korean National Health Insurance from 2011 to 2014. We compared the number and cost of tonsillectomy and adenoidectomy by hospital type, region, and patient age. RESULTS: The total number of tonsillectomy and adenoidectomy after the application of DRG systems in July 2013 in all medical institutions was reduced, but the total costs showed a tendancy to increase, resulting in an increase per charge of case. The number of tonsillectomy and adenoidectomy was decreased in general and specialized hospitals, but the costs were increased after DRG systems. CONCLUSION: Medical costs per charge of case related to tonsillectomy and adenoidectomy was higher in the DRG system than in the 'fee for service' system. Increased medical costs, considered to be the most likely cause of patient copayments, are recognized in the DRG system. The results showed that saving effect of medical costs was not significant in the DRG system; it may appear to relieve patient burden in the short term, but the financial state of national health insurance is worsening.
Adenoidectomy ; Diagnosis* ; Diagnosis-Related Groups ; Humans ; Insurance, Health* ; Methods ; National Health Programs ; Otolaryngology ; Tonsillectomy*

OBJECTIVE: To observe the clinical effect of endoscope-guided low temperature plasma ablateing adenoidectomy with tympanic membrane incision drainage and tympanic membrane indwelling catheter to treat secretory otitis media of children. METHOD: Fifty-two cases (98 ears) of secretory otitis media in children with adenoid hypertrophy were treated. Respectively endoscope-guided tympanic membrane incision drainage parallel low temperature plasma ablateing adenoidectomy and endoscope-guided tympanic membrane indwelling catheter parallel low temperature plasma ablateing adenoidectomy. RESULT: In group A, 30 cases of 58 ears, cure 36 ears, improving 14 ears, invalid 8 ears, the effective rate was 86.2%. In group B, 22 cases of 40 ears, cured 32 ears, improvement in 6 ears, invalid 2 ears, the effective rate was 95.0%. According to statistical analysis of curative effect, there was no significant difference by effective rate between two groups. CONCLUSION For the patients with secretory otitis media caused by adenoidal hypertrophy, the endoscope-guided tympanic membrane incision drainage parallel low temperature plasma ablateing adenoidectomy can be regarded as a kind of method to reduce the risk of tympanic membrane perforation.
Adenoidectomy ; methods ; Adenoids ; pathology ; Catheters, Indwelling ; Child ; Cold Temperature ; Humans ; Middle Ear Ventilation ; methods ; Otitis Media with Effusion ; surgery ; Tympanic Membrane Perforation