[Physical performance in patients with focal infection ergospirometric stress-testing before and after tonsillectomy...

The diagnosis of a focal infection in 13 patients (6 men and 7 women, aged 18 to 36) was based on the findings of chronic tonsillitis and general complaints interpreted as focal symptoms. The patients underwent symptom-limited maximal stress-testing before and after tonsillectomy to rule out any impairment of physical performance on the basis of computer-assisted processing of ergospirometric data. It can be concluded that the actual data of maximal oxygen uptake (aerobic power), the phenomenon of adaptation to increasing work loads (derived from rating of the increase in oxygen uptake during rectangular-triangular bicycle ergometry), the on-line processed index of anaerobic power and the anaerobic threshold, as well as heart rate and arterial blood pressure regulation did not differ in these patients from findings in healthy subjects. Nor were these parameters altered by tonsillectomy. Tonsillar focal infection is unlikely to cause any impairment of physical performance with respect to parameters of cardio-respiratory and metabolic function.