Nasalance scores in pediatric patients after adenoidectomy

Adenoidectomy is one of the most frequently performed operations in childhood. Nasal obstruction and chronic infection are the basic indications for surgery. Nasometer measures both oral and nasal air pressure during loud speech, and calculates their ratio. The aim of this study was to compare the mean nasal values in patients who had adenoidectomy at different ages against a control group.

Eighty children between the ages of three and sixteen that had adenoidectomy in our clinic between 2006 and 2010 were compared against eighty age-matched controls who had not had nasal obstruction in their lifetime and were proven to have open nasal airways on physical examination.

Statistical analysis of the data showed that mean nasalance scores were significantly lower in patients who had adenoidectomy before 6 years of age when compared to the ones who had the operation after the age of six. In addition, when we compared the children who had adenoidectomy before 5 years of age and between 5 and 6 years of age, we found that their nasalance scores were significantly lower when compared to those who had adenoidectomy after the age of six (p = 0.017 and p = 0.019, respectively).

This study has shown that, even when adenoidectomy is performed, hyponasality may continue in clinically symptomatic patients under the age of six, and that there are no determined risk factors other than the early age.