Ectopic adenoid tissue in the choanae

Abstract

A series of 19 patients with often long-lasting nasal stenosis despite repeated treatment attempts, including in many cases repeated adenoidectomy, were found to have ectopic adenoid tissue in the choanae which could only be removed transnasally by forceps. It did not emerge from the rhinopharynx but from the roof of the choanae, the posterior part of the nasal septum and in some cases also from the lateral wall of the choanae. The diagnosis was established by anterior rhinoscopy using a flexible rhinopharyngo-laryngoscope. The treatment was successful in all 19 patients, many of whom had had symptoms for years. It is estimated that about two per cent of patients with adenoid symptoms have such ectopic choanal adenoid tissue, that cannot be removed by the usual oral approach. In young patients with long-lasting nasal stenosis attention should be focused on the bottleneck of the nasopharyngeal airway formed by the choanae, primarily by fibre-optic endoscopic examination.