Impact of adenotonsillectomy on acoustic parameters of voice using GRBAS scale in children

Abstract

Adenoids and tonsils are pharyngeal lymphoid tissue aggregation. Adenotonsillar hypertrophy is usually seen in children. Enlarged adenoid and tonsillar tissue in children causes snoring, sleeping disorders, failure to thrive, frequent upper respiratory tract infections and abnormalities in maxillofacial development. Surgical treatment performed for their removal is termed as adenotonsillectomy. This is one of the most commonly performed surgical procedures in children. The present study was conducted to compare the voice change using the GRBAS scale before and after adenotonsillectomy. This is a prospective study conducted for three months at the Department of Otorhinolaryngology in our tertiary care center. Voice of 35 children with adenotonsillar hypertrophy is analyzed by GRBAS scale in three stages before the surgery, three weeks after surgery and six weeks after surgery. The resulting voice quality improvement is noted in these children after adenotonsillectomy. This study showed that surgical procedures of adenotonsillectomy do not induce drastic adjustments in sound quality and can be performed safely in children. Post-operative voice changes are a significant concern issue among the parents of the children.