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Researchers from the University Medical Center Utrecht in the Netherlands wanted to know if an adenotonsillectomy would reduce levels of potentially harmful bacteria growing in the back of the throat. Therefore, they conducted a study involving 300 randomly selected children who suffered from repeat throat infections. The children ages two to eight years either underwent an adenotonsillectomy or received careful follow-up care. Throats were swabbed at the beginning of the study and at three months and 12 months after treatment to see if the levels of harmful bacteria had changed.
The children in the study who were treated by an adenotonsillectomy displayed reduced levels of three disease-causing microbes at the three and 12-month swabs. Haemophilus influenzae was reduced and there was no longer any evidence of group A beta-hemolytic streptococci or Staphylococcus aureus at the test swabs after surgery. The comparison group that was only treated by careful follow-up showed no changes in the presence of these microbes during swabs.
An separate study at the University of Kansas School of Medicine in Kansas City looked at whether an adenotonsillectomy would affect children’s sleep disordered breathing symptoms and behavioral problems, including inattention, hyperactivity and defiance. Researchers chose 117 children with sleep disordered breathing to undergo an adenotonsillectomy.
Sleep disordered breathing refers to a range of breathing disorders, from snoring to obstructive sleep apnea syndrome. These problems often stem from enlarged tonsils and adenoids, which contribute to a poor quality of sleep and chronic snoring. Other studies have indicated that children with sleep disordered breathing display an elevated rate of behavioral problems, including attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), and poor school performance.
The parents completed questionnaires about their children’s sleep disordered breathing symptoms and behavioral problems, including inattention, hyperactivity, and defiance before the surgery and six months after the adenotonsillectomy. Overall, the team found that when the children’s sleep disordered breathing symptoms improved after surgery, so did their behavior.
Adenotonsillectomy is an operation that involves the removal of the tonsils and adenoids. The findings are reported in the Archives of Otolaryngology — Head and Neck Surgery, October 2007.
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