Study of weight and height development in children after adenotonsillectomy

Summary The daily clinical observation of weight-height growth delays in children with obstructive hypertrophy of the pharyngeal and palatine tonsils is a workaday practice in pediatric otorhinolaryngology, and the surgical correction of this condition, when properly done in time, through adenotonsillectomy, can lead to a “catch up growth”. Aim To investigate the real weight-height gain present in this population when they are surgically treated. Materials and Methods Through a clinical prospective study, two groups of children carrying pharyngopalatine hypertrophy were followed up: group 1 was submitted to surgical intervention, and group 2 was not. All patients underwent standardization of anthropometrical measurements (weight and height), including their age-related percentiles, in the beginning and at the end of 06 (six) months. Results While group 1 increased its height average in relation to the initial average in 6.66cm, the control group increased its average in 1.9cm (p=0.0004). In relation to weight, group 1 increased 2150g in average, while group 2 presented an average increase of 690g (p=0.0010). Conclusions The children that underwent adenotonsillectomy acquired a higher weight-height growth potential in relation to those children who were not operated.