Tonsillectomy is a medical treatment of tonsillitis.
It is a surgery to remove tonsils and the adenoids simultaneously.
Generally, children who experience serious complications
of tonsillitis undergo this surgical procedure. It is
advised to go through tonsillectomy when recurrent infections
defy the curative power of several other treatments.
Tonsillectomy for Children with
Severe Complications
Tonsillectomy is an effective treatment with sure fruits
for particularly children who are victims of tonsillitis.
Children who can benefit most from tonsillectomy are
the ones who have:
Obstructed air passages
Difficulty in swallowing
Obstructed nostrils
Bleeding tonsils
Difficulty in talking due to nasal obstruction
Suffering form tonsillitis for more than three months
Been affected with tonsillitis infection five times in a year
Several Methods of Tonsillectomy
Thermal welding - Thermal welding is a technical mode
of tonsillectomy. This technology based treatment of tonsillitis used
thermal energy to divide and seal the tonsillar tissues.
Dissection-snare method - This medical method of treating
tonsillitis is nowadays much in use. Otolaryngologists practice it to
remove the tonsils by using scissors, forceps and a loop shaped wire.
Under this treatment, a patient undergoes a phase of general anesthesia.
It completely removes the tonsils without post-operative bleeding.
Electrocautery - Electrocautery is a method of tonsillectomy,
which removes the tonsillar tissues by burning them. The burning of the
tonsillar tissues reduces the loss of blood through cauterization. The
only one side effect of Electrocautery is that thermal damage to tissues
that surround the tonsil tissues may result from the Electrocautery heat
(400 degrees centigrade). It also can lead to discomfort at the postoperative
stage.
Harmonic scalpel - This medical mode of tonsillectomy
makes use of ultrasonic energy in order to shake a blade at 55,000 cycles
in a second. The vibration energizes the blade to cut and coagulate the
tonsillar tissues at the same time. Temperature of the tissues in the
surroundings of the tonsil reaches 80 degrees centigrade. Harmonic scalpel
treats tonsillitis with least thermal damage to other tissues.
Carbon dioxide laser - This method of tonsillectomy is
also called Laser Tonsil Ablation (LTA). In this procedure of treating
tonsillitis, Otolaryngologists use a KTP or CO2 laser for vaporization
and removal of the tonsillar tissues. This process reduces the volume
of tonsils and eliminates the tonsil recesses that affect one with recurrent
infections. It is recommended for the treatment of chronic tonsillitis,
severe halitosis and chronic sore throat.
Microdebrider - The microdebrider is an energized shaving
device. With continuous suction, it is used at the time of sinus surgery.
It consists of a tube or a cannula, which is attached to a hand piece.
The hand piece is joined with a motor with a suction device and foot control.
