27 mars 2023
Your child often breathes through his mouth, he has a permanent cold, he snores at night… What if it was hypertrophy of the adenoids? In this case, an ablation may be necessary.
From the same family as the lymph nodes, the adenoids, more commonly called vegetations, are small organs located at the back of the nose and in the upper part of the throat. They play a key role in the immune defense. Indeed, during an infection affecting the ENT sphere, they see their volume increase and thus secrete antibodies. At the end of the infectious episode, they return to normal size.
However, this mechanism can go wrong. The adenoids remain voluminous, block nasal breathing, forcing the child to open his mouth; but that’s not all. They can become a real source of infection. This is why some children will have nasopharyngitis, colds, ear infections and will snore more at night.
What treatment?
Generally, treatment with nasal corticosteroid spray is offered as first-line treatment. But it can happen that this support lacks effectiveness. This is why a surgical procedure, called an adenoidectomy, may be considered.
This operation – under general anesthesia – is performed on an outpatient basis and is not painful. The ENT surgeon uses a curette which he introduces through the mouth to “scratch” the vegetation. So your enfant won’t have any stitches…