A new clinical scoring system for adenoid hypertrophy in children

Chronic nasal obstruction due to adenoid hypertrophy is a very common disorder. Although the clinical assessment of adenoid hypertrophy is essential, its real value in young children is difficult to evaluate. The purpose of this prospective study was to validate a simple clinical score to predict the severity of adenoid obstruction and to evaluate the relationship between this method of clinical scoring with radiography and nasopharyngeal endoscopy.

Ninety symptomatic children were enrolled into this study. The clinical score included difficulty of breathing during sleep, apnea, and snoring. We investigated the relationship between clinical scoring, nasal endoscopy, and radiographic findings.

The clinical score correlated very well with endoscopic findings (P<0.000), but the correlation between the clinical score and radiologic findings (P>0.05) and endoscopic findings and imaging (P>0.05) was weak.

Clinical findings could be used to select children for adenoidectomy, especially when endoscopic examination is not available or cannot be performed.