Background: Allergic sensitisation of the airways occurs in the mucosa of the shock organ, or in the lymphatic stations draining these structures. The lymphatic structure closest to the nasal mucosa
in humans is the adenoid. Paediatric adenoidal obstruction of the nasal airway is associated with significant morbidity and is a frequent indication for surgery.Clinical assessment of adenoidal size is difficult, and an objective measurement is desirable.Methods: The study included 39 children (17 girls and 22 boys aged between 5 and 9; mean age: 6,7 years), with signs of perennial allergic rhinitis and suspicion of adenoidal hypertrophy. We used the acoustic rhinometry to evaluate the size of adenoid in children with adenoid hypertrophy and coexisting allergic rhinitis. The method was evaluated against the degree to which the adenoids obstructed the nasopharyngeal space on flexible endoscopy of the postnasal space and the side-pharynx x-ray. To estimate the correspondence between the resultswe have used Spearman’s correlation test.Results: The results of our study and statistical analysis suggested that the acoustic rhinometry correlated very well to the endoscopic findings and the side-pharyns x-ray (p=0,852 and 0,858).Conclusions: Perennial allergic rhinitis and pharyngeal tonsil hypertrophy cause similar clinical symptoms. Acoustic rhinometry provides a good measurement of the geometry of the nasal cavity and may be still regarded as accurate and constitute objective method for adenoid assessment in allergic children.

Keywords: allergic rhinitis, adenoid, diagnostic