Relationship between the Depths of Nasopharynx in Adenoid Hypertrophy via Adenoid Graphic evaluation in Sitting and Lying down Positions

Background: Adenoid hypertrophy plays an important role in the nasopharyngeal obstruction in children. Given that the symptoms of adenoid hypertrophy often occur at the time of lying down, the radiological evaluation of these patients is more consistent with clinical symptoms of patients. Therefore, the aim of this study was to investigate the relationship between the depths of nasopharynx in adenoid hypertrophy via adenoid graphic evaluation in sitting and lying positions.

Methods: In this study, 31 patients referred to the ENT clinic of Tabriz Children's Hospital, who had clinical symptoms of adenoid hypertrophy, were included and considered as the symptom assessment score (SAS). A / N ratio was measured for the each patients in sitting and resting conditions.

Results: 16 females and 15 males with adenoid hypertrophy with mean age of 7/39 ± 1/39 years were enrolled in the study. The results showed that all patients had symptoms of open-mouth breathing, night snapping and permanent nasal congestion, while only 4 patients had sleep apnea. The results showed that the average A / N ratio in patients in sitting and lying down conditions was 0.79 ± 0.016 and 0.89 ± 0.015 respectively. The statistical results showed that there is a significant difference between the A / N ratio in the sitting and lying down situations, and the average A / N ratio in the lying down state was higher.

Conclusion: Based on the results obtained in this study lateral cephalometric in lying down mode is preferable to sitting position for adenoid hypertrophy investigation.