OBJECTIVES: To evaluate the results of conventional adenoidectomy, using rigid endoscopy of the nasopharynx, and to establish the role of such evaluation in facilitating complete adenoid removal via the curettage technique. DESIGN: Descriptive rigid endoscopic evaluation of the nasopharynx before and after adenoid curettage, and following subsequent endoscopy-assisted adenoidectomy. SETTING: Tertiary referral centre. PATIENTS: Forty-one consecutive children with symptomatic adenoid hypertrophy scheduled to undergo adenoidectomy. RESULTS: Rigid endoscopic evaluation indicated that conventional curettage, used alone, failed to completely remove adenoid tissue from the superomedial choanae and anterior vault in all cases; incomplete removal was also seen in other parts of the choanae (in 67.2 per cent of patients), the eustachian tube opening (63 per cent), the nasopharyngeal roof (61.78 per cent) and the fossa of Rosenmuller (61 per cent). Subsequent rigid endoscopy-assisted adenoidectomy successfully removed the residual adenoid tissue from all nasopharyngeal sites, except the eustachian tube opening in two cases. CONCLUSION: Conventional curettage adenoidectomy misses a substantial amount of adenoid tissue. Rigid endoscopy-assisted adenoidectomy improves this result by enabling localisation of any residual adenoid tissue.
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