Tonsillectomy

A tonsillectomyis a 3,000-year-old[SUP] [/SUP]surgical procedure in which the tonsils areremoved from either side of the tonsillar fossa. The procedure is performed inresponse to cases of repeated occurrence of acute tonsillitisor adenoiditis,obstructive sleep apnea, nasal airway obstruction, diptheria carrier state, snoring,or peritonsillar abscess.
For children, the adenoidsare removed at the same time, a procedure called adenoidectomy.This is not common for adults.

Tonsillectomymay be indicated when the patient:

  • Experiences recurrent infections of acute tonsillitis.
  • Has chronic tonsillitis, consisting of persistent, moderate-to-severe throat pain.
  • Has multiple bouts of peritonsillar abscess.
  • Has sleep apnea (stopping or obstructing breathing at night due to enlarged tonsils or adenoids)
  • Has difficulty eating or swallowing due to enlarged tonsils (very unusual reason for tonsillectomy)
  • Produces tonsilloliths (tonsil stones) in the back of their mouth.
  • Has abnormally large tonsils with crypts (Craters or impacts in the tonsils)
The effectivenessof the tonsillectomy has been questioned. The review found that it was mostlikely not effective all the time, but rather was modestly effective, and that"not a single paper reported that tonsillectomy is invariably effective ineliminating sore throats.
Another systematicreview of cases involving children found that there was only a short-termbenefit: "A child who meets these strict criteria will probably sufferfrom 6 throat infections in the next two years. A child who has surgery nowwill probably suffer from 3 throat infections. In two years there will probablybe no difference
 
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