Tonsillectomy

When the problems caused by the tonsillitis are more than the possible benefit from their presence, surgical removal is decided. This decision is usually derived from the history, and is related to the number and severity of the episodes of acute tonsillitis in the history. Sometimes, the size of the tonsillitis alone causes significant obstruction in the throat, and can even induce sleep apnoea. In these cases, tonsillectomy may indicated even in the absence of frequent acute infections in the patient’s history. Tonsillectomy is the most common operation in Otolaryngology. It is performed under general anaesthesia, and lasts for less than one hour. The patient is discharged home on the next day, and is kept on oral medication and soft diet for about ten days, when healing has almost completed.