Adenoid Hypertrophy with Deviated Nasal Septum in Young Adults

Abstract

Adenoid hypertrophy is a common cause of nasal obstruction in children but relatively uncommon in adults, however adenoid hypertrophy in young adults is thought to be a persistence of untreated adenoid hypertrophy of childhood. This case series also notes that adenoid hypertrophy can be associated with deviated nasal septum. Coblation assisted endoscopic adenoidectomy usually has good result in adenoid clearance. Hence, routine endoscopic examination of nasopharynx helps in early diagnosis of adenoid hypertrophy and subsequent better management in young adults with complaints of nasal blockage. Nasopharyngeal vegetations were earlier described by Wilhelm Meyer in 1870 as forming part of Waldeyer’s ring of lymphoid tissue and he coined the term ‘adenoid’ to describe the same. In younger children, it has been thought that the adenoids may have an important role in development of an immunological memory. Physiologically it has been considered that hypertrophy of adenoid tissue occurs during 6 - 10 years and tend to regress and atrophy at 16 years. Grading of adenoid hypertrophy as described by Clemens et al. is as follows.1  Grade I: adenoid tissue filling 1/3rd. of the vertical height of choana.  Grade II: adenoid tissue filling up to 2/3rd of the vertical height of choana.  Grade III: from 2/3rd to nearly all but not completely filling the choana.  Grade IV: complete choanal obstruction We present three cases of adenoid hypertrophy with deviated nasal septums in adults who visited ENT outpatient department (OPD) at National Institute of Medical Sciences, Jaipur during COVID era of January 2021 to April 2021.