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A retrospective study of results of adenoidectomy, tonsillectomy, or their association in 80 of 35% cases of children with allergic affections showed that operation was successful in 2 out of 10 cases, resulted in complications in one out of 10 and was ineffective in 7 out of 10. This emphasizes the need for selection of children with allergy before deciding to operate, failures with complications being rarely observed when correct decisions have been made. Poor results can be avoided if contact of harmful allergens is prevented during healing. This involves the eviction of allergens, with isolation of the patient for one week and antidegranulation treatment of the ketotifen type, and accelerated densensitization during the isolation period. Antibiotics and polyvalent vaccination may be necessary to treat infection. Four-year follow up of 65 patients operated upon under these conditions demonstrated excellent results.

Seventy-six cases of unilateral tonsillectomy performed over the last 20 years are reported. The average age was 3.75 years. Fifty per cent had adenoidectomy. A review of their case notes and of 54 questionnaires returned by parents, asking their opinion of the change in symptoms before operation and two years after operation, showed that they could be allotted into three groups: Group 1 35 cases (65 per cent) had dramatic improvement in the symptoms of allergy, colds, otitis, sore throats, eating, meat eating and sleep. Group 2 of nine cases (17 per cent) had considerable improvement in most symptoms. Group 3 of 10 cases (18 per cent) had minimal improvement. Post-tonsillectomy hypertrophy of the remaining tonsil occurred within two to four years in nine cases, necessitating removal. Four (11 per cent) in Group 1, (22 per cent) in Group 2, and three (30 per cent) in Group 3. The three secondary tonsillectomies in Group 3 gave good results in two cases. In five cases the other tonsil was removed six to 15 years later. This series of cases has demonstrated that a tremendous decrease in incidence of throat and upper respiratory tract infection in young children, apparently prone to infection can occur in over 80 per cent of cases following unilateral tonsillectomy, in spite of the continued presence of the remaining large tonsil.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)