Prevalence of Tonsillar Actinomycosis in Tonsillectomy Specimens; Clinical Importance and Management

Özet

Aim: We aimed to assess the prevalence of actinomycosis in tonsillectomy specimens and its clinical importance and management in ourcenter.Materials and Methods: In this retrospective matched case-control study, patients who underwent tonsillectomy during 2010-2015 in ShahidMostafa Khomeini Hospital, Tehran, were studied. Data regarding age, sex, indication for surgery (such as recurrent tonsillitis or sleepdisordered breathing), tonsil size, and length of disease before surgery were collected in both histopathologically positive (case) and negative(control) patients for actinomycosis.Results: From the 260 studied tonsillectomy specimens, actinomycosis was found in 20 (8.75%) and 60 Actinomycosis negative cases werechosen randomly for the control group. There was no statistically significant difference between the groups with respect to age, sex, lengthof disease before surgery, and incidence of actinomycosis in tonsillectomy due to recurrent tonsillitis or sleep-disordered breathing. However,the tonsil size was significantly greater in specimens positive for actinomycosis (8.65±1.5 mL versus 4.38±0.22 mL, p<0.001).Conclusion: Actinomycosis in tonsillectomy specimens is an incidental histopathological finding and does not necessarily correlate withactive disease; while it is associated with tonsillar hypertrophy and increased tonsil size.