Adenoid tonsil

Last revised by Jeremy Jones on 7 Jan 2025

The adenoid tonsils, or often just simply the adenoids (also known as the nasopharyngeal or pharyngeal tonsils), are paired foci of lymphatic tissue located on the superoposterior wall of the nasopharynx and form part of Waldeyer's ring 1.

Adenoidal hypertrophy is commonly seen in children, and can cause nasal congestion, recurrent otitis media, swallowing difficulties, and speech anomalies (hyponasal speech) 2. Adenoidal hypertrophy in adulthood is much less common 3.

Cases and figures

  • Figure 1: pharyngeal tonsils on CT neck (annotated)
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