Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jan 25, 2026

Diagnostic Ultrasound Imaging of Mouse Diaphragm Function
Published on: April 21, 2014
High-Frequency Ultrasound: A Novel Diagnostic Tool to Measure Pediatric Tonsils in 3 Dimensions
Emily Kay-Rivest1, Christine Saint-Martin2, Sam J Daniel1
1Department of Pediatric Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, Montreal Children's Hospital, Montreal, Quebec, Canada.
Objective:
A wide variety of pathologies can affect the palatine tonsils. Ultrasound is a commonly used modality for assessing head and neck masses in children; however, its use in tonsillar evaluation has not been widely explored. The objective of this study was to measure 3-dimensional tonsillar size with ultrasound, in centimeters, and correlate these measurements with actual ex vivo dimensions on pathology specimens.
Study Design:
We performed a prospective cohort study.
Setting:
The study was set in a tertiary care children's hospital.
Subjects And Methods:
Children undergoing tonsillectomy were included in the study. Transcervical high-frequency ultrasonography (HFU) was performed prior to surgery to obtain 3-dimensional measurements of the right and left palatine tonsils. Mean sizes were compared to ex vivo tonsil measurements and correlations were obtained.
Results:
Seventy-five consecutive children underwent a transcervical HFU, with a total of 150 tonsils analyzed. The mean differences between HFU and pathology measurements were -0.08 cm and -0.24 cm for the right and left craniocaudal axes, -0.19 cm and -0.18 cm for the right and left mediolateral axes, and 0.05 cm and 0.03 cm for the right and left anteroposterior axes. Correlation coefficients between ultrasound and pathology measurements were all above 0.5.
Conclusion:
HFU can accurately measure the size of pediatric tonsils in 3 dimensions.
More Related Videos
10:22Interictal High Frequency Oscillations Detected with Simultaneous Magnetoencephalography and Electroencephalography as Biomarker of Pediatric Epilepsy
Published on: December 6, 2016
11:29Measuring the Functional Abilities of Children Aged 3-6 Years Old with Observational Methods and Computer Tools
Published on: June 20, 2020
Related Concept Videos
Tonsillitis I: Introduction
Etiology
Three primary contributing factors have been identified.
Tonsillitis II: Management
Support Reactions in Three Dimensions
Ball and Socket Joint is one of the supports allowing free rotation about any axis. This freedom of rotation is...
Relative Velocity in One Dimension
Frequency-dependent Selection
Relative Velocity in Two Dimensions