THE SIGNIFICANCE OF HISTOPATHOLOGIC TONSILLAR ACTINOMYCOSIS IN PEDIATRIC PATIENTS WITH RECURRENT ACUTE TONSILLITIS
1Süleyman Demirel University Faculty of Medicine, Department of Otorhinolaryngology, Isparta, Turkey2Süleyman Demirel University Faculty of Medicine, Department of Patology, Isparta, Turkey Background: The aim of this study is to determine the possible role of Actinomyces histopathologically found in tonsillar tissue on hypertrophy, fibrosis, and asymmetry of tonsils in patients with recurrent acute tonsillitis.
Materials and Methods: One hundred and fifty consecutive patients underwent tonsillectomy with the diagnosis of recurrent acute tonsillitis were enrolled in this study. Tonsillectomy specimens stained with haematoxylin-eosin were all evaluated with light microscopy for the presence of Actinomyces. Patients with tonsillar specimens showing Actinomyces were involved in the study group and those without any findings of Actinomyces were involved in the control group. Two groups of patients were compared with respect to the concomitant adenoid hyperplasia, season of operation, age, gender, duration of disease, the degree of tonsillar hypertrophy and tonsillar asymmetry and fibrosis. Data were analyzed by SPSS statistics package. The Chi-squared and ANOVA tests were performed.
Results: One hundred and fifty consecutive patients with a mean age of 8.38 ± 3.74 years (ranging from 3 to 16) were enrolled in this study. Actinomyces were determined in 53 (35,3 %) patients. Patients operated on during summer season, and having longer periods of complaints before surgery, female gender and older mean age had significantly more frequent Actinomyces in their tonsillar tissues (chi-square test: P <.05). The other parameters were not different between two groups.
Conclusions: In contrary to some other studies the presence of Actinomyces in tonsillar tissue is an incidental finding. It is the colonization of tonsils by Actinomyces which does not have any clinical importance.
Keywords : Actinomycosis, fibrosis, tonsil, tonsillectomy, tonsillitis, hypertrophy