The Effect of Tonsillectomy and Adenoidectomy on Nasality in Children

Kim, Ic Tae; Song, Sang Yoon; Chang, Ki Hyun; Jeon, Jin Hyung; Kim, Hyung Jong

Abstract

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: Tonsillar and adenoid hypertrophy is one of the common causes of nasal obstruction, mouth breathing, snoring and sleep apnea in children. Tonsillectomy and adenoidectomy (T & A) could relieve these symptoms but may also cause voice changes after the operation. The aim of this study was to evaluate the voice changes objectively by nasometric and acoustic rhinometric analyses.
MATERIALS AND METHODS
Thirty-eight patients who underwent T & A and twenty-two control children who had no sinonasal or tonsillar hypertrophy problems were selected. A visual analogue scale was used for determining the subjective nasality changes and nasometric analyses were used to determine the objective nasalance differences. Acoustic rhinometry was used to measure the nasopharyngeal volume changes and the removed adenoid tissue were directly measured. Data were collected prior to the operation, and on the second, 7th and 14th days after the operation. Data were compared and analyzed statistically.
RESULTS
The volume of removed adenoid tissue was not statistically related with the subjective nasality changes which increased significantly after T R. A. Nasalance in the patient group increased significantly after the operation compared to that in the control group. The voiume of nasopharynx increased significantly after adenoidectomy, but it had a minimal statistical correlation with the volume of the removed adenoid tissue.
CONCLUSION
Nasometric and acoustic rhinometric tests can serve as objective tools for evaluating the subjective nasality changes after T 5z A.