Photobiomodulation for pediatric hypertrophic tonsils: a clinical case report

Abstract

: Photobiomodulation and low level laser therapy have multiple clinical applications across medicine and dentistry and has been used, with varying degrees of success, in sleep medicine and dental sleep medicine. This case report describes the use of low level laser therapy with an Er:YAG laser for the immediate treatment of hypertrophic tonsils in a child with symptoms of a sleep airway disorder as recorded through pre-intervention screening with the pediatric sleep questionnaire and BEARS sleep screening tool. Immediate, 3-month post-intervention, and 1 year post-intervention clinical photos showed significant tonsil size reduction from the low level laser therapy with maintenance of tonsillar shrinkage over the following year. Post-intervention results on the pediatric sleep questionnaire and BEARS sleep screening tool showed a significant change in reported symptoms. No negative side effects were noted by the clinician or reported by the patient. The results of this case report indicate that low level laser therapy may be a potential treatment option for hypertrophic tonsils, with potential applications into the fields of sleep medicine and otolaryngology for both adults and children. Further research into the applications of low level laser therapy on hypertrophic tonsils should be conducted, with appropriate clinical protocols and patient selection criteria studied in detail.