tonsillectomy
Sign in to saveTonsillectomy is a surgical procedure in which both palatine tonsils are fully removed from the back of the throat. The procedure is mainly performed for recurrent tonsillitis, throat infections and obstructive sleep apnea (OSA). For those with frequent throat infections, surgery results in 0.6 (95% confidence interval: 1.0 to 0.1) fewer sore throats in the following year, but there is no evidence of long term benefits.<!-- quote = tonsillectomy for recurrent throat infections in severely affected children was shown, in a randomized controlled trial, to reduce the frequency (one fewer sore thr
Key facts
- Medical intervention.name
- Tonsillectomy
- Medical intervention.synonyms
- Adenotonsillectomy, T&A
- Medical intervention.image
- Tonsillectomy09.jpg
- Medical intervention.caption
- Typical appearance of the back of the throat three days post tonsillectomy.
- Medical intervention.specialty
- Otorhinolaryngology
- Medical intervention.ICD9
- -
- Medical intervention.MeshID
- D014068
- Medical intervention.MedlinePlus
- 003013
via Wikipedia infobox
Article
17 sectionsContents
- Medical uses
- Sore throat
- Obstructive sleep apnea
- Other
- Complications
- Immune system
- Surgical procedure
- Methods
- Medications
- Post-surgery care
- Rates
- Evidence-based indications
- Financial incentives
- History
- References
- Further reading
- External links
Tonsillectomy is a surgical procedure in which both palatine tonsils are fully removed from the back of the throat. The procedure is mainly performed for recurrent tonsillitis, throat infections and obstructive sleep apnea (OSA). For those with frequent throat infections, surgery results in 0.6 (95% confidence interval: 1.0 to 0.1) fewer sore throats in the following year, but there is no evidence of long term benefits. In children with OSA, it results in improved quality of life.
While generally safe, complications may include bleeding, vomiting, dehydration, trouble eating, and trouble talking. Throat pain typically lasts about one to two weeks after surgery. Bleeding occurs in about 1% within the first day and another 2% after that. Between 1 in 2,360 and 1 in 56,000 procedures cause death. Tonsillectomy does not appear to affect long term immune function.