Tonsillitis index: an objective tool for quantifying the indications for tonsillectomy for recurrent acute tonsillitis.

This report is a preliminary exploration of the concept of a “Tonsillectomy Index” (TI) as an objective tool for quantifying the indications for tonsillectomy for recurrent acute tonsillitis (AT). The TI is derived by multiplying the number of episodes of AT by the number of years during which the episodes of AT occurred. Our objective in this study was to investigate whether there is a relationship between the natural history of AT, the immunological functions of tonsils and our proposed TI.