Glucocorticoid Receptor Expression in Torus Tubarius Hypertrophy Tissue Causing Secretory Otitis Media in Children

Backgrounds: Torus tubarius hypertrophy (TTH) after adenoidectomy causing nasal obstruction, recurred snoring, sleep apnea, or mouth breathing has been reported more and more recently, partial resection of TTH conducted by a low-temperature plasma technique is a safe and effective therapy, and some benefit from intranasal steroid therapy. However, the expression of glucocorticoid receptor (GCR) in TTH tissue is currently unknown and no paper reported secretory otitis media caused by TTH. Objectives: To assess the expression patterns of the human GCR in TTH tissue in children with adenoidectomy. Methods: 5 children from Jan to Jun 2024 were included in this study. All children underwent partial resection of TTH, and TTH tissues were collected for immunofluorescence. Results : GCR-α and GCR-β were both expressed in TTH tissues in 5 children, the expression of GCR-α was significantly higher than GCR-β. Since it has been reported that the high expression of GCR-α is correlated to glucocorticoid therapy sensitivity, the glucocorticoid therapy may be curative to TTH in children. Conclusions: TTH after adenoidectomy were reported more often in recently, partial resection of TTH operation conducted by a low-temperature plasma technique under general anesthesia is a safe and effective therapy, intranasal corticosteroids could be a alternative solution of TTH. However the function of GCR in children with TTH still requires further investigation.