Recurrent growth of pharyngeal lymphoid tissues in children: a literature review

Abstract

Hypertrophy of the nasopharyngeal and/or palatine tonsils is a common condition in children that reduces patients' quality of life. Surgical treatment is widely used in the Russian Federation and worldwide, but some patients experience a relapse of the disease. From 0.55% to 25.79% of children with a history of surgery undergo repeat adenotomy; in 0.1211.9% of patients, repeat tonsillotomy/tonsillectomy is performed. The reasons for the re-growth of lymphoid tissue in the pharynx in some patients remain unclear. It is difficult to estimate the recurrence rate due to the lack of definite clinical and diagnostic criteria for the concept of "recurrence" itself. Factors associated with a higher frequency of re-growth of lymphoid structures in the pharynx include some conditions (allergy, bronchial asthma, gastroesophageal reflux), the history aspects (tonsillitis, multiple courses of antibiotic therapy), and early age at the time of primary operation and adenotomy without visual monitoring. The issues discussed are relevant to E.N.T. specialists and pediatricians in predicting and reducing the risk of recurrence in children before primary surgery.