[A radiological study of the nasopharynx]

Since the difficulty to objectively assess the adenoidal tissue and the nasopharyngeal airway in children, it is necessary to find out an accurate method of measuring these structures. The present work studied the efficacy of the cavum lateral X-ray to measure the adenoidal tissue and to assess the obstruction in causes in the nasopharynx. With this purpose, different radiological measurements were carried out in 90 children who were going to undergo adenoidectomy. A significant correlation between these measurements and the volume and weight of the removed tissue was found. Also, a postadenoidectomy radiological control showed a significant decrease of the adenoidal tissue and a significant increase of the nasopharyngeal airway. The authors conclude that the lateral cavum X-ray is a good procedure to measure the adenoidal tissue and the nasopharyngeal airway.