[ADRENERGIC AND CHOLINERGIC INNERVATION OF THE PHARYNGEAL TONSILS IN CHILDREN WITH CHRONIC ADENOIDITIS]

Adrenergic and cholinergic innervation of the pharyngeal tonsil was studied in 50 children aged 4 to 14 years with chronic adenoiditis. that was removed during the operation from. The children were divided into 3 groups. The 1st group included children with decreased tone of the autonomic nervous system (ANS) and autonomic hyperreactivity, the 2nd group — children with increased ANS tone and low autonomic reactivity, the 3rd group — children with optimal autonomic tone and normal reactivity. The state of the nervous structures in the region of adenoid overgrowths was studied by histochemical methods, demonstrating adren- and cholinergic nerve fibers in the same section (incubation in glyoxylic acid and Karnovsky–Roots method). Adrenergic nerve fibers with many varicosities were found mainly in perivasal plexuses, from which the branches passed subepithelially between the nodules, and the terminals ofthin fibers penetrated the lymphoid nodules. The assessment of the functional activity of adrenergic nerve fibers demonstrated that in the 1st group the average luminescence intensity in varicose extensions and intervaricose areas was equal to 22.7±2.5 and 37,2±3.5 conventional units (c.u.), respectively, in the 2nd group it was equal to 57.3±1,4 and 15.5±4.3 c.u., while in the 3rd group — to 34,3±2,2 and 30.1±3.8 c.u. It was found that cholinergic nerve fibers were located similarly to adrenergic fibers, but appeared thicker and had larger varicosities. The activity of cholinergic nerve structures could be evaluated by the staining intensity (from light yellow to dark brown) and by the number of varicose extensions in a certain fiber. Similar to adrenergic fibers, cholinergic nerve fibers often passed from perivascular plexuses and innervated the lymphoid tissue.