Prevalence of tonsillar actinomycosis in tonsillectomy specimens; clinical importance and management

INTRODUCTION: We aimed to assess the prevalence of actinomycosis in tonsillectomy specimens and its clinical importance and management in our center.
METHODS: In this retrospective matched case-control study, patients who underwent tonsillectomy during 2010-2015 in Shahid Mostafa Khomeini Hospital, Tehran, were studied. Data regarding age, sex, indication for surgery (such as recurrent tonsillitis or sleep-disordered breathing), tonsil size, and length of disease before surgery were collected in both histopathologically positive (case) and negative (control) patients for actinomycosis.
RESULTS: From the 260 studied tonsillectomy specimens, actinomycosis was found in 20 (8.75%) and 60 Actinomycosis negative cases were chosen accidentally for control group. There was no statistically significant difference between the groups with respect to age, sex, length of disease before surgery, and incidence of actinomycosis in tonsillectomy due to recurrent tonsillitis or sleep-disordered breathing. However, the tonsil size was significantly greater in specimens positive for actinomycosis ( 8.65±1.5 versus 4.38±0.22, P<0.001).
DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSION: Actinomycosis in tonsillectomy specimens is an incidental histopathological finding and does not necessarily correlate with active disease; while it is associated with tonsillar hypertrophy and increases tonsil size.