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Updated: Jul 3, 2026
Assessment of Child Anthropometry in a Large Epidemiologic Study
Published on: February 2, 2017
Study of weight and height development in children after adenotonsillectomy
Insights
Adenotonsillectomy significantly improves weight-height growth in children with tonsil hypertrophy. Surgically treated children showed greater gains in height and weight compared to the control group over six months.
Area of Science:
- Pediatric Otorhinolaryngology
- Pediatric Endocrinology
- Growth and Development
Background:
- Obstructive hypertrophy of pharyngeal and palatine tonsils commonly causes weight-height growth delays in children.
- Adenotonsillectomy is a surgical intervention for this condition.
- Catch-up growth is a potential outcome of timely surgical correction.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the actual weight-height gain in children with pharyngopalatine hypertrophy after surgical treatment.
- To compare growth outcomes between surgically treated children and a non-surgically treated control group.
Main Methods:
- A prospective clinical study was conducted.
- Two groups of children with pharyngopalatine hypertrophy were followed for six months: one surgically treated (adenotonsillectomy) and one control group.
- Standardized anthropometric measurements (weight and height) and age-related percentiles were recorded at baseline and follow-up.
Main Results:
- The surgical group (Group 1) showed an average height increase of 6.66 cm, significantly more than the control group's 1.9 cm (p=0.0004).
- The surgical group gained an average of 2150 g in weight, compared to 690 g in the control group (p=0.0010).
Conclusions:
- Children undergoing adenotonsillectomy demonstrated a significantly higher potential for weight-height growth.
- Surgical intervention for pharyngopalatine hypertrophy positively impacts child growth trajectories.
Unlabelled:
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 6.66 cm, the control group increased its average in 1.9 cm (p=0.0004). In relation to weight, group 1 increased 2150 g in average, while group 2 presented an average increase of 690 g (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.
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