OBJECTIVES: Surface electromyography (sEMG) was performed on randomly chosen adults with acute and recurrent tonsillitis to trace changes in muscle activity.
STUDY DESIGN AND SETTING: Randomized prospective study.
METHODS: Activity of masseter (MS), submental (SUB), and infrahyoid muscles (INF) were examined and statistically analyzed during deglutition being compared to normative databases.
RESULTS: For acute tonsillitis, the duration of muscle activity during deglutition was normal with normal amplitude, except for INF muscles. When the acute episode was over, no peculiarities remained. For recurrent tonsillitis, the duration of activity and SUB amplitude remains normal and activity of MS and INF became increased, and this abnormality remained during the remissions.
CONCLUSION: Acute and recurrent tonsillitis affect muscle activity significantly by involving additional muscles (mainly infrahyoid) in swallowing. Acute tonsillitis triggers temporary electric hyperactivity of infrahyoid muscles. Recurrent tonsillitis affects MS and INF even during periods of remission (fixed pathological changes).
SIGNIFICANCE: This data might justify patients‘ complaints during the period of remission and can be used for comparison purposes to trace possible complications of tonsillitis.
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