Vicissitude of Curetted Adenoid Vegetations

Weights of curetted adenoid were measured and were compared with both weights of tonsils and the rate of adenoidectomy among the tonsillectomized cases. This study included 603 patients whose adenoids were curetted during the 11-year period. 90% of patients were 2 to 9 years old. The rate of curetted adenoid vegetation among the tonsillectomized cases was 80% among patients from 1 to 6 years old and 70% among patients of 7 and 8 years old. The rate remarkably decreased from 9 years of age. The average weight of the curetted adenoids in each age group ranged from 0.7 g to 1.9 g. There was no statistical correlation in the distribution of the average weight of the curetted adenoids between males and females as well as between the weight of the tonsils and the weight of the curetted adenoids. A hypothesis on the cause of adenoid hypertrophy was presented in this study.