Radiographic evaluation of enlarged adenoids in children with chronic adenoiditis

ABSTRACT

To evaluate the use of soft tissue neck x-ray in the assessment of enlarged adenoids in children with chronic adenoiditis. Tertiary referral centre of Malaysia. Prospective study. We performed a soft tissue neck x-ray [lateral view] for adenoids in children with chronic adenoiditis admitted for adenoidectomy under general anaesthesia. Only those children whose parents /guardian agreed for imaging were included. The enlarged adenoids were graded from 1+ to 4+ where 1+ is the normal adenoids with normal nasopharyngeal airway and 4+ is massive enlargement of adenoids with totally occluded nasopharyngeal airway. RESULTS: Fifty children were accrued from June 1999 to September 2001. The ages of the children were from 3-12 years old. All of them had adenoidectomy successfully without any complications. The soft tissue neck x-ray showed 8% of the patients have 1+, 38% have 2+, 42% have 3+ and 12% have 4+ adenoids enlargement. Lateral soft tissue neck x-ray is a good method to demonstrate adenoids enlargement in children with chronic adenoiditis and convenient for the busy otorhinolaryngologists. It may help to determine that the symptoms are due to adenoids enlargement and exclude other causes