HISTOPATHOLOGICAL ANALYSIS OF TONSILLECTOMY SPECIMENS IN OUR HOSPITAL - A RETROSPECTIVE STUDY

Abstract

Objectives: Tonsillectomy is a frequently performed surgical procedure in ENT. Routine histopathological examinations (HPE) of the dissected tonsillar tissue are a gray area with no formal consensus among most of the otolaryngologists. The accidental discovery of underlying malignancy in the tonsillar specimens among the vulnerable group adds to the conundrum of whether is it mandatory to examine all tonsillar tissue. In this study, we retrospectively analyzed histopathological reports of tonsillar tissue dissected under the specific indication of chronic tonsillitis and documented the major histological features in chronic tonsillitis. Methods: One hundred patient’s tonsillar specimens were retrospectively studied and analyzed and the major histopathological features are documented. The majority of patients were in the 11–20 years age group (45%). A slight male predominance (51%) was seen over females (49%). Results: All the specimens were subjected to HPE and were demonstrated reactive lymphoid hyperplasia in all cases (100%), among others changes are surface ulcerations (45%) and bacterial colonies (40%) contributed to the other major histopathological findings. Significantly none of the one hundred tonsils have demonstrated the presence of metaplasia or neoplasia. Conclusions: A tetrad of histopathological findings constitutes chronic tonsillitis with reactive lymphoid hyperplasia seen in all tonsillectomy specimens. No tonsillectomy specimen was demonstrated any underlying malignancy. Still, as a policy, it is better to check these specimens for any underlying neoplastic changes in the light of increasing chewing of tobacco-related products.