Impact of Adenotonsillectomy on Weight Gain in Children

‘Failure to thrive’ is considered to be an indication for adenotonsillectomy in children. There is contrasting evidence regarding weight gain in children following adenotonsillectomy. The objective of this study is to evaluate weight change post adenotonsillectomy. Materials and Methods A prospective study conducted on 45 children of age between 5 to 15 years, who underwent adenotonsillectomy in our hospital. Weight is calculated at three different period i.e. preoperative, postoperatively at 3 and 6 months and compared with standard Indian Academy of Paediatrics (IAP) weight for age. Results Out of 45 children 62.2% were less than 10 years of age with a male preponderance of 60%. 55.6% had normal birth weight. Preoperatively the average weight of the participants was 25.69 kg when compared to IAP normal weight for age which was 29.67 kg. Postoperatively at 6 months it was 28.19 kg as opposed to the expected weight of 31.88 kg. Conclusion The weight gain post adeno-tonsillectomy failed to meet the expected IAP value and was below the expected value. Hence there was no significant weight change following adenotonsillectomy.