Introduction: Tonsillar hypertrophy is prevalent in the pediatric age group, mostly between 2 and 8 years. Various scales exist to subjectively classify tonsil sizes. The Brodsky scale is the most widely used and recognized, classifying tonsil sizes into five grades. Few studies have evaluated the correlation between tonsil mass (weight) and the Brodsky scale classification.We aimed to assess the correlation between the weight of resected tonsils and the subjective size attributed by clinicians during the preoperative consultation.

Materials and Methods:Children, aged 3 to 12 years, assessed at the ENT Department of the Local Health Unit of the Aveiro Region between June and October 2024, subjected to tonsillectomy. The subjective tonsil size assessment was conducted during the preoperative consultation. Tonsils were weighted with a KERN FXN 6K-3N scale. Statistical analysis was performed using Python software (v3.12.3), with pandas (2.2.3), pingouin (0.5.5), and SciPy (1.14.1) libraries.

Results:Our sample included 70 children, 26 female and 44 male.34 children had Grade III tonsils, 19 Grade II, 15 Grade IV, and 2 Grade. Tonsil mass ranged from 0.5 to 13g (x̄= 6.0±0.29). There was a correlation between tonsil mass and age (r=0.27, p<0.024) and a correlation between tonsil mass and child weight (r=0.41, p<0.001). Correlating tonsil mass with subjective evaluation yielded a significant positive correlation (r=0.24, p=0.047). When controlling for child weight, a statistically significant correlation was found (r=0.292, p=0.014).

Conclusion:We found a positive relation between objective and subjective tonsil size as assessed by the Brodsky Scale. The Brodsky scale appears to be a reliable method for assessing tonsillar hypertrophy in the pediatric population.

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