Abstract
<title>Abstract</title> <p>Objective To evaluate the correlation between adenoid size assessed by nasal endoscopy and lateral cephalometric radiography in children. The null hypothesis tested was that there is no correlation between nasal endoscopy and lateral cephalometric radiography in assessing adenoid size. Methods A retrospective cross-sectional study was conducted including 33 children aged 6–12 years who underwent both nasal endoscopy and lateral cephalometric radiography. Endoscopic images were analyzed using ImageJ software to determine the percentage of adenoid occupation relative to the nasopharyngeal space (Adenoid/Choana). Cephalometric analysis was performed using McNamara’s measurements: nasopharyngeal space (NFa–NFp) and oropharyngeal space (BFa–BFp), as well as their ratio. Pearson correlation and linear regression analyses were applied (α = 0.05). Results A statistically significant moderate negative correlation was found between endoscopic and cephalometric measurements (r = − 0.43, p = 0.013). Stronger correlations were observed in males (r = − 0.58) and in children aged ≥ 9 years (r = − 0.59). No significant correlation was found between endoscopic findings and the oropharyngeal measurement alone (r = − 0.21, p = 0.24). In contrast, the nasopharyngeal measurement showed a moderate correlation (r = − 0.45, p = 0.009). Regression analysis demonstrated low predictive capacity (R²= 0.18). Conclusions The null hypothesis was rejected. Lateral cephalometric radiography shows a limited, but significant, correlation with nasal endoscopy, particularly when nasopharyngeal measurements are used. However, cephalometric radiography should be considered a complementary tool, not a substitute, for nasal endoscopy.</p>