Papillary Hypertrophy of the Palatine Tonsils

Papillary hypertrophy of the tonsils is one of the rare abnormalities of the palatine tonsils. Since the first reports of papillary hypertrophy of the tonsils by Ogino and Matsui, only 30 cases of this disease have been reported in Japan. The etiology of papillary hypertrophy remains a mystery. A 5-year-old female visited our clinic with a complaint of obstructive feeling in the throat. Papillary surface of the palatine tonsils were noticed. Tonsillectomy and adenoidectomy were performed under general anesthesia on October 25, 1977. The histopathological examination of the tonsils revealed the lymphoid hyperplasia with poor subepithelial connective tissues. Only slight chronic inflammation was present. This papillary hypertrophy of the tonsils was found in 13 members (6 male, 7 female) of her family pedigree. Genetical analysis of the pedigree showed this disease is transmitted by an autosomal dominant gene.