Clinical presentation, radiographic findings, and treatment outcomes in children with adenoid hypertrophy in a paediatric outpatient clinic in Enugu, Nigeria.

OBJECTIVES

To determine the clinical presentation, imaging features and outcomes of children with adenoid hypertrophy in our setting.

DESIGN

A retrospective study.

SETTING

The paediatric clinic of a private hospital in Enugu.

PARTICIPANTS

51 children, aged 2 to 108 months, with suggestive clinical features and radiographic report of adenoid hypertrophy who presented over 3 years.

INTERVENTIONS: Clinical information was obtained from the patient's medical records. Data was analysed for the clinical characteristics of the patients, the relationship between the degree of airway narrowing on a postnasal space (PNS) radiograph and treatment outcomes.

MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Degree of airway narrowing as measured on a PNS radiograph, the type of and outcomes of treatment.

RESULTS

There was an almost equal male (54.7%): female (45.1%) ratio in the occurrence of adenoid hypertrophy, with a mean age of occurrence of 31.50 ± 3.64 months. Noisy breathing was the commonest symptom (94.1%); history of atopic rhinitis in 64.7% of cases and hyperactive airway disease in 45.1% more than 50% of cases with airway narrowing resolved with medical management only.

CONCLUSION

Adenoid hypertrophy should be considered in evaluating the upper airway in children under five. Paediatricians should be conversant with diagnosing and managing this common cause of upper airway obstruction.

FUNDING: None declared.