Assessment of Volatile Sulfur Compounds in Adult and Pediatric Chronic Tonsillitis Patients Receiving Tonsillectomy

OBJECTIVES. To study the volatile sulfur compound (VSC) concentration profile in chronic tonsillitis patients before and after tonsillectomy, and to evaluate the difference between adult and pediatric (children and adolescents) patients. METHODS. Thirty adult patients (older than 20 years old) and 30 pediatric patients (younger than 20 years old) who were assigned to get tonsillectomy due to chronic tonsillitis were enrolled in this prospective nonrandomized clinical study. The concentrations of the three main VSCs related to halitosis (hydrogen sulfide, methyl mercaptan, and dimethyl sulfide) were assessed in each patient using a portable chromatograph (Oral Chroma(TM)) at 1 day before operation, postoperative 1 day, 1 week, and 2 weeks. RESULTS. Average concentration of hydrogen sulfide, methyl mercaptan, and dimethyl sulfide preoperatively were 99.5 ppb, 24.6 ppb, and 9.45 ppb in adult patients, and 97.4 ppb, 26 ppb, and 10.5 ppb in pediatric patients, respectively. The concentrations of the three VSCs in both groups were highest in first day after surgery, and decreased signigicantly after 2 weeks compared to preoperative values (P<0.001). There was no significant difference of the concentration of the three VSCs between adult and pediatric patients in any time point. CONCLUSION. The concentrations of hydrogen sulfide, methyl mercaptan, and dimethyl sulfide decreased significantly after tonsillectomy in chronic tonsillitis patients. The concentrations of the three VSCs were not significantly different between pediatric and adult patients before and after tonsillectomy.