Pre- and postoperative evaluation by acoustic rhinometry of children submitted to adenoidectomy or adenotonsillectomy

INTRODUCTION: Nasal obstruction is a common symptom in children and its etiology includes septal deviation, choanal atresia, allergic rhinitis and hypertrophy of the adenoids. Hypertrophy of the adenoids and hypertrophic rhinitis are the most frequent causes of nasal obstruction in the pediatric population, with adenoidectomy being the main surgery carried out during childhood. OBJECTIVE: To analyze the rhinograms of children with nasal obstruction before and after surgery and to compare them with those obtained for children without respiratory complaints. STUDY DESIGN: A clinical prospective study. METHODS: Thirty-five patients with adenoid or adenotonsillar hypertrophy were submitted to otolaryngologic examination and acoustic rhinometry before and 30-60 days after surgery. The control group consisted of 18 children without nasal complaints. RESULTS: Significant differences in the rhinograms were observed before and after surgery, but not between patients and the control group. CONCLUSION: We conclude that acoustic rhinometry is well tolerated by children, and is a rapid and noninvasive method. The technique is valuable for interindividual comparisons, but not for the assessment of different groups.