Pediatric Adenoidal Hypertrophy and Nasal Airway Obstruction: Reduction With Aqueous Nasal Beclomethasone

OBJECTIVE: Pediatric adenoidal obstruction of the nasal airway is associated with significant morbidity and is a frequent indication for surgery. Because efficacious medical alternatives to adenoidectomy are lacking, we assessed the potency of standard-dose topical nasal beclomethasone in reduction of adenoidal obstruction of the nasal airway. METHODS: Seventeen children, 5 to 11 years of age, exhibiting chronic obstructive nasal symptoms and a group mean (+/- SE) adenoid/choana ratio of 91 +/- 1% on rhinoscopic examination, completed an 8-week, double-blind, placebo-controlled crossover study of standard-dose aqueous nasal beclomethasone (total 336 micrograms/day) in the treatment of adenoidal hypertrophy. In a 16-week, open-label, follow-on study, subjects received beclomethasone 1 spray in each nostril twice daily (168 micrograms/day). RESULTS: Over the initial 4 weeks, improvements in the mean adenoidal obstruction of the choanae were significantly greater in the group receiving beclomethasone than in the group receiving placebo (right, -14.0% vs. +0.4%, P = .0002) (left, -15.0% vs. -2.0%, P = .0006). In the subsequent crossover 4 weeks, a significant beclomethasone carryover effect resulted in further adenoid size reduction in both treatment groups. All patients demonstrated a decrease in adenoid size with beclomethasone treatment, compared with a mixed response to placebo. Over the full 8-week crossover study, the mean (+/- SE) obstructive symptom score after beclomethasone treatment (20.5 +/- 3.0) was significantly improved compared to patients' initial (43.1 +/- 2.9) and placebo scores (31.1 +/- 4.2, P < or = .05), despite the active drug carryover effect into the placebo treatment period. Significant improvements in adenoidal obstruction and symptom scores over the 8-week crossover study were enhanced in the subsequent 16-week open-label period (P = .0001). By 24 weeks, an 82% reduction in group mean nasal obstruction symptom score accompanied a 29% mean reduction in adenoid/choana ratio. No clinical or demographic characteristic predicted a patient's degree of response to treatment. CONCLUSIONS: Properly administered aqueous nasal beclomethasone in standard doses can significantly reduce adenoidal hypertrophy and nasal airway obstructive symptoms in children.