Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2005 Jan-Feb;71(1):18-22.
doi: 10.1016/s1808-8694(15)31279-9. Epub 2006 Jan 2.

Histological analysis of tonsillectomy and adenoidectomy specimens--January 2001 to May 2003

Alfredo R Dell'Aringa  1 , Antônio J C Juares, Cinthia de Melo, José C Nardi, Kazue Kobari, Renato M Perches Filho
Affiliations

Histological analysis of tonsillectomy and adenoidectomy specimens--January 2001 to May 2003

Alfredo R Dell'Aringa et al. Braz J Otorhinolaryngol. 2005 Jan-Feb.

Abstract

Palatine and nasopharyngeal tonsils are nonencapsulated nodular masses of lymphoid tissue of the respiratory and digestive tract epithelium.

Study design: Retrospective clinical study based on the revision of medical records of patients who underwent tonsillectomy and adenoidectomy at Hospital das Clínicas, Medical School, Marília in the period between January 2001 and May 2003.

Aim: Analysis of patients' profile and main pathological changes in 250 patients with palatine and nasopharyngeal tonsil hypertrophy, recurrent infections or both.

Material and method: Histological review of 250 patients who underwent tonsillectomy and adenoidectomy among adults and children.

Results: Out of 250 subjects, 117 (46.8%) were female and 133 (53.2%) were male patients. Mean age was 7.3 years, ranging from 2 to 34 years. Main surgical indication was concomitant presence of recurrent infections and hypertrophy of nasopharyngeal and palatine tonsils. Among these patients, 160 (64%) were classified as grades III to IV hypertrophy. Lymphatic or follicular lymphatic hyperplasia was observed in 205 patients (82%); focal inflammation was verified in 45 (18%) subjects. Among those, 2 patients presented squamous cell cysts, 2 had Actinomyces sp colonies and 1 cat scratch disease.

Discussion: The results presented in this study suggested a possible correlation between recurrent tonsillitis and palatine tonsil hypertrophy.

Conclusion: Routine histological study of tonsillectomy and adenoidectomy specimens has a low cost-benefit rate, although, due to legal and ethical issues, physicians may request this type of examination.

PubMed Disclaimer

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Grading of palatine tonsils hypertrophy proposed by L. Brodsky.
Figure 2
Figure 2
Normal lymphoid tissue clinical pathology analysis.
Figure 3
Figure 3
Follicular lymphoid hyperplasia. The solid arrow = normal follicles, and hollow arrow = no hyperplasic follicles.
Figure 4
Figure 4
Local suppurative follicular lymphoid hyperplasia.
Figure 5
Figure 5
Granulomatous damage suggestive of cat's scratch disease. Solid arrow = hyperplasic follicle, hollow arrow = granuloma, and small arrow = normal follicle.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

Similar articles

See all similar articles

Cited by

See all "Cited by" articles

References

    1. Junqueira LC, Carneiro J. Histologia Básica 9ª ed. Guanabara Koogan; Rio de Janeiro: 1999. pp. 242–243.
    1. Dolci JEL, et al. Análise histológica de 24 tonsilas faríngeas de pacientes submetidos àadenoidectomia ou àadenoamigdalectomia. Rev Bras Otorrinolaringol. 2002;68(5):615–618.
    1. Younis RT, Hesse SV, Anand VK. Evaluation of the utility and cost-effectiveness of obtaining histopathologic diagnosis on all routine tonsillectomy specimens. Laryngoscope. 2001;111(12):2166–2169. - PubMed
    1. Ferreira JB, et al. Histopatologia de amídalas e adenóides de 154 pacientes operados. Rev Port Otorrinolaringol. 2003;41(1):35–39.
    1. Moore KL. Embriologia Clínica. 4. Guanabara Koogan; Rio de Janeiro: 1996. p. 259.

MeSH terms