Tonsils hypertrophy can cause a number of troublesome symptoms. These symptoms are not only bothersome at the moment, but can also have long-term, adverse effects on the child’s development.
Symptoms that often occur with tonsils hypertrophy:
(one or more symptoms may occur)
-frequent infections of the upper respiratory tract,
-snoring at night, sleep apnea syndrome
– incorrect breathing pattern, mouth open during the day or at night
-hearing problems, recurrent or chronic ear infections
-incorrect articulation – nasalizing, slurred speech
Long-term adverse effects of tonsils hypertrophy:
-malocclusion (open bite, crossbite, overbite), abnormal facial skeleton development (so-called adenoid face – gaping facial expression, forward development of the jaw, gothic palate)
– difficulty concentrating, emotional disorders, learning difficulties
-in some cases, chronic otitis media, with permanent hearing loss.
We make the diagnosis based on:
– endoscopic examination through the nose – this way we assess the size of the adenoid (called the third tonsil),
– classic examination of the oral cavity and throat – this is how we assess the size of the palatine tonsils.
Treatment of tonsil hypertrophy can begin with a trial of conservative treatment, although such treatment does not bring improvement in all children. The basic treatment is surgery.
Surgical treatment for adenoid hypertrophy is adenoidectomy.
It is performed under general anesthesia and the procedure involves removing the adenoid through the mouth using special tools. The quality of the procedure is greatly improved by the endoscopic technique, which allows observation of the surgical site and guarantees accurate removal of the tonsil, even if it grows into the choanal nostrils.
Surgical treatment for hypertrophy of the palatine tonsils is tonsillotomy.
Performed under general anesthesia, most often simultaneously with adenoidectomy (adenotonsillotomy). It involves reducing the mass of the tonsils, cutting out their excess, leaving some of the tonsils in the palatal arches. The treatment can be performed using classic tools or a monopolar knife or laser.
