Is Routine Histopathologic Examination Necessary Following Tonsillectomy and/or Adenoidectomy Procedures in Pediatric Patients?

Tonsillectomy and/or adenoidectomy is the most common surgical procedure in ENT practice and the malignancy rate of tonsillar tissue is very rare. The purpose of the present study is to investigate the necessity of routine histopathologic examinations following tonsillectomy and/or adenoidectomy surgeries. A total of 385 patients between the age of 5 and 16 years who were admitted to our ENT clinic and underwent adenoidectomy and/or tonsillectomy between October 2008 and July 2015 participated in the study. Patient data such as age, sex, indication for surgery, and histopathologic findings were recorded prospectively. Histopathologic findings were analyzed for hyperplastic lymphoid parenchyma and malignancy. No malignancies were detected in the studied patients and all had hyperplastic lymphoid parenchyma. Unilateral tonsillar swelling, significant lesions on the tonsil or adenoid tissue, malignancy history in the head and neck region, or a mass in the neck region with weight loss must be examined histopathologically; however, we conclude that there is no need to perform histopathologic examination for patients for whom there is no clinical suspicion. A meta-analysis is needed in this regard.