Adenoids (腺樣體)

Lymphoid tissue found at the junction of the roof and posterior wall of the nasopharynx, thought to be involved in the development of humoral immunity as a component of the “gut associated lymphoid tissue” (GALT). Adenoid tissue is present at birth and during childhood, beginning to atrophy before puberty.

Clinical features:

Adenoidal hypertrophy disturbs nasopharyngeal airflow and Eustachian tube function and can also act as a focus of infection for adjacent sites. Common clinical features are nasal obstruction and discharge, deafness due to middle ear effusion and otalgia due to recurrent otitis media. 

Gross adenoidal enlargement, often associated with tonsillar hypertrophy, can cause sleep apnoea syndrome in which apneic episodes during sleep are associated with daytime somnolence and in severe cases pulmonary hypertension and cor pulmonale. Clinical suspicion of enlarged adenoid can be confirmed by lateral radiography.

Management:

Surgical removal (adenoidectomy) can be undertaken if enlarged adenoids are causing sleep apnoea, nasal obstruction or are a contributing factor to persistent middle ear effusions or recurrent otitis media.