Authors : B Nikethan, Neethu G V, Rashmi P, Dipti Anu
DOI : 10.18231/j.achr.2020.004
Volume : 5
Issue : 1
Year : 2020
Page No : 14-17
Introduction: Palatine tonsils are paired masses of lymphoid tissue which act as immunologic barrier
against the entry of pathogenic agents into the respiratory and digestive tracts. Despite their protective
function, tonsils are prone to infection. Tonsillitis is a common disease especially among the children.
Chronic tonsillitis is a disease with repeated attacks of acute tonsillitis or a sub-clinic form of a resistant or
poorly treated infection.
Aim: To study the histomorphological findings of various lesions of tonsils.
Materials and Methods: A cross sectional study was carried out at a department of pathology in a
tertiary care hospital for a period of two years. A total 160 cases of the histomorphologically identified
tonsillectomy specimens were included and stained by Hematoxylin & Eosin .
Results: We studied histopathology of 160 cases, out of which 156 were tonsillectomy specimens, 4 were
tonsillar biopsies. The age of patients ranged from 1 to 60 years. In our study the histomorphological
diagnosis showed 45(28.1%) cases showed chronic tonsillitis, 62(38.7%) cases of follicular tonsillitis,
5(3.2%) cases of chronic tonsillitis showed actinomycotic colonies, with no tissue reaction, 2(1.2%) cases
of acute on chronic tonsillitis, and 40(25%) cases of reactive lymphoid hyperplasia and 5(3.2%) cases of
Acute suppurative tonsillitis 1(0.6%) cases and 1(0.6%) case of moderately differentiated squamous cell
carcinoma were seen.
Conclusion: Routine histomorphogical study of tonsillectomy specimens has a low cost-benefit rate, and
most diagnostic tool for early screening and follow-up of malignancy.
Keywords: Chronic tonsillitis, Tonsillectomy, Histopathology.