Abstract
INTRODUCTION: Adenotonsillectomy is one of the most commonly done surgical procedures in paediatric population. Two main indications for paediatric adenotonsillectomy are recurrent sore throat due to bacterial infection and airway obstruction due to adenotonsillar hypertrophy. This study assessed the impact of adenotonsillectomy on quality of life (QoL) in paediatric patients (3-14 years) with chronic adenotonsillitis using the Paediatric Throat Disorders Outcome Test (T-14), focusing on obstructive and infective symptoms. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A, prospective, observational study was conducted in a tertiary care hospital from May 2023 for a period of 18 months. Paediatric patients of age 3-14 years with chronic adenotonsillitis who underwent adenotonsillectomy were included in this study. Paediatric Throat Disorders Outcome Test (T-14) questionnaire form was filled by patient caregivers preoperatively at the time of hospital admission and postoperatively at 6(th) week. Paired t-test was used to ascertain and compare the values obtained. RESULTS: 60 paediatric patients of age 3-14 years (mean age 8.7 years) were included in the study, who were diagnosed with chronic adenotonsillitis and underwent adenotonsillectomy. Symptom profile in the study population revealed obstructive issues, manifested as mouth breathing (83.33%) and snoring (45.00%), and infective symptoms presented as throat pain (60%). Following adenotonsillectomy, there was significant T-14 score reductions (p=0.0001) for obstructive (91.17%) and infective (88.10%) symptoms. These outcomes validate adenotonsillectomy's predominant role in addressing combined adenotonsillar pathology in paediatric patients. CONCLUSION: Adenotonsillectomy significantly enhances QoL, reduces obstructive and infective symptoms with universal improvement supporting its use in chronic adenotonsillitis.