Enlargement of the pharyngeal and palatine tonsils

The pharyngeal and palatine tonsils are organs that play an important role in the development and maintenance of children's immune defences. Excessive growth can occur in preschool children in particular and lead to various symptoms and problems in young patients. These include, for example, obstructed nasal breathing with a consequently open mouth, frequent middle ear infections, speech development disorders, snoring and nocturnal breathing interruptions ("infantile sleep apnoea syndrome"). These symptoms can often significantly impair the child's general development and quality of life.
Depending on the severity of the symptoms and the reduction in quality of life, surgical removal of the adenoids ("adenotomy") and/or partial removal of the palatine tonsils ("tonsillotomy") is recommended, often in combination with a tympanic membrane incision and, if necessary, insertion of a tympanostomy tube.
These operations are among the most common procedures performed on children. The primary aim is to act in the best interests of the child and to improve their long-term health. However, as it is an invasive procedure, the decision for or against the operation is often not easy to make.
We are therefore constantly interested in improving the evidence-based care of our young patients and offer participation in various clinical studies.

We investigate the following parameters in children with symptomatic adenoids and/or palatine tonsil hyperplasia as part of clinical studies: quality of life, quality of sleep, orthodontic anomalies, parental needs, in-clinic setting for paediatric surgery and long-term results of paediatric surgery.