Tonsillectomy
Never in the history of medicine have so many physicians owed so much economic security to a single operation as tonsillectomy - Lyman Richards, 1953
image by: İrfan Gözübüyük
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What do tonsils do and why would we take them out?
There are some important new recommendations about tonsillectomy — taking out the tonsils — as a treatment for recurrent strep throats.
Some of us can recall a time when getting your tonsils out was one of the rites of passage of childhood. Usually a related procedure is added — an adenoidectomy, removing the adenoids as well. It’s called a T&A in the medical world, and it’s one of the most common surgical procedures done on children.
Where are the tonsils, what do they do, and why would we take them out? The tonsils are at the back of the throat, one on either side. If they haven’t been removed, you can see them peeking at you when you open your mouth wide and look in…
Resources
Having My Tonsils Removed
After years of getting tonsillitis every couple of months I finally headed into hospital to get the buggers taken out. Before going in I had heard HORROR stories of how awful the operation is and how bad the recovery would be and if I am being honest I was unbelievably nervous. It felt that all I could see online was bad stories and it felt like there was no balance so I wanted to share with you my experiance of having my tonsils removed.
Most children who have their tonsils removed don’t benefit
In short, tonsillectomy is marginally beneficial in severely affected children who have frequent sore throats, documented in medical records and with specific symptoms.
Most children who have their tonsils removed don’t benefit
Bloodletting was mainstream medicine for 3,000 years. As late as 1915, it was recommended for soldiers who were gassed during World War I. Today it seems extraordinary that over the centuries so many patients were subjected to such harm. But could we be making the same mistake today? Our research into tonsillectomies suggests we might be.
Nine in 10 operations to remove children's tonsils 'unnecessary'
Most of those undergoing procedure in England did not appear to need it, report shows.
Say Aaa! Then Zzz: Tonsillectomy Helps Kids Sleep
Getting your tonsils out used to be just part of childhood — a rite of passage for children in the 1950s and '60s. Then it fell out of favor. But tonsillectomy is back. Today, the most common reason for the surgery is "sleep disordered breathing," a broad diagnosis that includes sleep apnea and snoring. About 10 percent of elementary-school-age children snore.
Tonsillectomy Risks May Outweigh Benefits
Watchful waiting may be a good strategy when the condition is not too severe.
Why Codeine is Dangerous in Some Kids After Tonsillectomy
Being an ultra-rapid metabolizer sounds like a good thing. But if you are and take codeine, you convert much more of it to morphine than in most people. If you're a kid with breathing problems from swollen tonsils and/or adenoids and are an ultra-rapid metabolizer, and are getting codeine for post-operative pain, the usual therapeutic dose is potentially lethal. So you can see why this effect is so rare and has been so difficult to nail down.
Clinical Practice Guideline: Tonsillectomy in Children (Update)
This update of a 2011 guideline developed by the American Academy of Otolaryngology–Head and Neck Surgery Foundation provides evidence-based recommendations on the pre-, intra-, and postoperative care and management of children 1 to 18 years of age under consideration for tonsillectomy.
Tonsillectomies Aren’t Performed Primarily to Treat Throat Infections Anymore
Thirty years ago, about 90% of tonsillectomies in children were done for recurrent throat infection; now it is about 20% for infection and 80% for obstructive sleep apnea (OSA).
A History of Tonsillectomy: Two Millenia of Trauma, Hemorrhage and Controversy
THE evolution of modern surgery has been rapid. Operations, which fifty years ago were unthought of, are now being performed as daily routine procedures. While the most spectacular advances have probably been in cardiac surgery, there have been major advances in all the surgical specialities. Some operations, however, have been practised for many years with varying degrees of popularity. One such procedure is tonsillectomy (tonsillotomy), which has been performed for over two thousand years, its popularity waxing and waning with the century.
A Tonsil Remedy Is Fitted for a New Century
These days, many doctors are less likely to move to tonsillectomy for a smaller series of run-of-the-mill sore throats. I try to explain to parents that their children will grow out of these infections, and taking out their tonsils won’t necessarily do very much to expedite that process. Yet at the same time, doctors are more willing to consider that children may need the operation if their tonsils obstruct the throat enough to affect breathing while they sleep.
Current trends in tonsillitis and tonsillectomy
Tonsillectomy rates have remained static over the last ten years in the catchment area of our hospital despite an increase in admissions of patients with tonsillitis. The trend is mirrored nationally.
Doctors Are Still Prescribing Codeine For Kids After Tonsillectomies, Despite FDA Warning
Codeine itself is not an analgesic, but is a 'pro-drug'. It metabolizes to morphine for analgesic effect. However, variants in patients' P450-2D6 enzymatic activity can lead to either no therapeutic blood levels of morphine or levels multitudes higher than is safe, leading to respiratory depression and even death, especially in children with a history of obstructive sleep apnea, and more so in the hours following general anesthesia and airway surgery.” And therein lies the danger: the variable metabolism of the drug itself, and its ability to induce variable levels of morphine in the bloodstream place all children at risk--but even more so in children with sleep apnea.
How I Survived My Adult Tonsillectomy
Three weeks ago I had a tonsillectomy and adenoidectomy. Much to my surprise, I’ve had people ask me to write a blog post full of TMI and the gritty details of recovering from an adult tonsillectomy. So here’s the full story…you may want to skip this post if you have a weak stomach.
Serendipity in Tonsillectomy
Why tonsil removal appears to decreases a person's risk of cancer
Why Would You Ever Take Out Tonsils?
Why do doctors keep doing tonsillectomies? To cut off part of your immune system because of too many infections seems medieval.
Women Without Appendixes Or Tonsils Are More Likely To Get Pregnant
Just don't go removing your non-vital organs yet.
‘A Wicked Operation’? Tonsillectomy in Twentieth-Century Britain
Histories of twentieth-century surgery have focused on surgical ‘firsts’ – dramatic tales of revolutionary procedures. The history of tonsillectomy is less glamorous, but more widespread, representing the experience and understanding of medicine for hundreds of children, parents and surgeons daily. At the start of the twentieth century, tonsillectomy was routine – performed on at least 80 000 schoolchildren each year in Britain. However, by the 1980s, public and professional discourse condemned the operation as a ‘dangerous fad’.
Tonsillectomy: A Foodie's Worst Nightmare
The following post is merely a personal account of my trials & tribulations over the past week following adult tonsillectomy.
The New-Look Tonsillectomy
In a welcome development for children facing surgery to remove their tonsils, two small studies presented yesterday show that a new method reduces pain and recovery time after the operation. The finding is particularly significant now that tonsillectomies are seeing something of a revival, albeit not for the old reasons, but rather as a treatment for sleep apnea. Sleep apnea, a sleep-depriving condition that leads to interrupted breathing and frequent waking, has been linked to a host of behavioral problems in children, including attention-deficit disorder and poor performance in school.
What do tonsils do and why would we take them out?
The important thing to remember is that tonsillectomy, like any surgery, is not without risk. It’s not just a routine thing like getting a vaccine shot. Compared with other surgical procedures the risk is low, but it is not zero.
Top 10 Adult Tonsillectomy Recovery Tips & Top 5 Suprises (with Advice)
These are my hard-earned learnings about my tonsillectomy procedure and recovery. I wrote this blog to help others who are considering, or going through, this procedure and recovery.
Tonsillectomy Guide
Within this blog, you will find valuable information to help you prepare for the surgery and minimise the pain experienced during the recovery period. Adult tonsillectomy is well known to have a very painful recovery period and it is therefore essential that you prepare in advance as much as possible.
TosillectomyRecovery.com
In 2008, at the age of 44, I underwent tonsillectomy surgery. As I struggled to prepare for the surgery and recover from it, I was frustrated by the lack of quality content available on the internet for tonsillectomy patients. I was also frustrated by the general public’s assumptions about adult tonsillectomy surgery, and the lack of compassion from my health care providers. I was ill-prepared and struggled through recovery with minimal support. For this reason, I created a website to provide information to adults considering or recovering from tonsillectomy. It was called, “My Big Fat Tonsillectomy.” I later added a forum where other patients could share their experiences, questions, pain, and compassion.
Fauquier ENT Consultants
Words of wisdom on T&A.
Tonsillectomy Guidelines Could Reduce Kids' Surgeries
Kids usually get sent for tonsillectomy after a bunch of bad, sore throats. But how many is too many? The guideline gives this advice: If a kid has had fewer than seven throat infections in the past year, then it's probably a good idea to hold off on surgery. If a kid has five or more throat infections a year for two years, then it's probably OK to get the tonsils out. Same goes for three or more in three years.
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