THE HUMAN PALATINE TONSIL STUDIED FROM SURGICAL SPECIMENS AT VARIOUS PATHOLOGICAL CONDITIONS: MORPHOLOGICAL ANALYSIS
1Ankara Üniversitesi Tıp Fakültesi, Kulak Burun Boğaz Anabilim Dalı, Ankara, Türkiye2Ankara Üniversitesi Tıp Fakültesi, Patoloji Anabilim Dalı, Ankara, Türkiye
3Diyarbakır Devlet Hastanesi, Kulak Burun Boğaz Departmanı, Diyarbakır, Türkiye Purpose: Recurrent tonsillit (RT) and obstructive tonsillar hypertrophy (OTH) are the two most frequent indications of tonsillectomy in children. Physiology of tonsil and its morphology in disease are still unknown. In this study, morphology of tonsillectomy specimens in RT and OTH patients were evaluated.
Materials and methods: Morphology of palatine tonsils of fourty four patients with RT or OTH were evaluated. The surface epithelium, crypt epithelium, crypt content, lymphoid follicles and extrafollicular areas were blindly evaluated. Presence and the degree of these parameters were scored between 0-3.
Results: Significant differences in parameters of keratinization of crypt epithelium, crypt number, fibrosis and increased lymphoid follicles with large germinal centers were found between tonsils of patients with RT and OTH.
Conclusion: We consider that changes in tonsil tissue starting with keratinization of both surface and crypt epithelium continuing with obliteration of the crypts may result in immune unresponsiveness or continuing immune stimulation which results in RT or OTH.
Keywords : Palatin tonsil, tonsillar morphology, recurrent tonsillitis, obstructive tonsillar hypertrophy