Incidence of revision adenoidectomy in children

Adenoidectomy is a frequently performed procedure in the pediatric population. Revision rates and indications for a second procedure in children are scarce.

Retrospective cohort study.

Patient records at a multistate pediatric healthcare system were searched for all CPT codes that included adenoidectomy in children less than 12 years of age for a 5-year period (2005-2010). A subset of patients was identified for whom the same CPT codes appeared more than once in this 5-year period. The indication, age, gender, adenoid size, and technique of adenoidectomy were recorded.

A total of 23,612 occurrences of the CPT codes were identified. The subset of patients with multiple CPT codes, indicating revision adenoidectomy, included 304 records (1.3%). Mean age at first procedure was 2.8 years (SD = 1.7 years). Mean age at second procedure was 4.7 years (SD = 1.99 years). Mean interval between procedures was 1.8 years (SD = 1.1 years).

Revision adenoidectomy occurs at a rate of 1.3%. Reasons for revision include persistence symptoms ranging from adenoiditis to recurrent otitis to obstructive sleep apnea.