Dr n. med. Agnieszka Strzembosz,
otolaryngolog w Szpitalu Medicover
Also called an adenoid or the third tonsil, a pharyngeal tonsil is a mass of lymphoid tissue composed of cells involved in destroying pathogenic organisms. It is situated in the roof of the nasopharynx, and is invisible while mouth is open (as it is behind soft palate and uvula to the back and upwards).
Recurring URIs can lead to reactive pharyngeal tonsil hypertrophy, which makes it a place of bacterial colonisation. The overgrown tonsil cripples the nasal patency, which causes suffering children to breathe through their mouth, snore, or sweat at night. It can block the pharyngeal opening of auditory tube leading to OME.
The surgical procedure to remove the pharyngeal tonsil (called adenotomy) is performed under general anaesthesia in children with recurring URIs, especially of the middle ear, OME, breathing disorders during sleep, chronic sinusitis, or nasal patency disorders.