The ubiquity of asymptomatic respiratory viral infections in the tonsils and adenoids of children and their impact on airway obstruction.

Background: Airway obstruction due to enlargement of tonsils and adenoids is a common pediatric problem resulting in sleep disordered breathing. The cause for the relatively abnormal growth of tonsils and adenoids is poorly understood.

Methods: Non-acutely ill children undergoing tonsillectomy and adenoidectomy (T&A) for various reasons were enrolled prospectively in a study to determine the frequency of asymptomatic respiratory viral infections in each lymphoid tissue and to relate the number and types of virus to the degree of airway obstruction.

Utility of preoperative hematologic screening for pediatric adenotonsillectomy.

We conducted a 3-year retrospective study to examine the results of preoperative hematologic screening, the incidence of postoperative bleeding, and the possible relationship between the two factors in patients who had undergone tonsillectomy with or without adenoidectomy. Our study population was made up of 875 patients--441 boys and 434 girls, aged 2 to 18 years (mean: 7.52 ± 4.