Adenoid removal is surgery to take out the adenoid glands. These glands are located between the airway you breathe into through your nose and the back of your throat. Often, adenoid removal is done at the same time as a tonsillectomy, surgery to remove the tonsils. Adenoid removal is also called adenoidectomy.

Most adenoidectomies are done on children.

Adenoidectomy; Removal of adenoid glands

Your child will be given general anesthesia before surgery. This means they will be unconscious and unable to feel pain.

• The surgeon will insert a small instrument into your child’s mouth to prop it open.
• The surgeon will remove the adenoid glands with a curette (a spoon-shaped medical device) or a microdebrider (a medical device used to cut away soft tissue).
• Some surgeons may cauterize the adenoids (seal the tissue using a heated device) instead of removing them.
• Bleeding will be controlled with packing material, which will absorb blood, and with cauterization.

Your child will stay in the recovery room after surgery until they are awake and can breathe easily, cough, and swallow. Most patients can go home several hours after this surgery.

Adenoidectomy may be recommended when:

• Enlarged adenoids are blocking your child’s airway. This may be suspected if your child:
  • Snores a lot
  • Has trouble breathing through their nose (nasal obstruction)
  • Has episodes of not breathing during sleep (sleep apnea)
• Your child has chronic ear infections that:
  • Interfere with school attendance
  • Persist even with antibiotic treatment
  • Recur 5 or more times in a year
  • Recur 3 or more times a year during a 2-year period

Images

Adenoids

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Review Date: 11/12/2010
Reviewed By: Neil K. Kaneshiro, MD, MHA, Clinical Assistant Professor of Pediatrics, University of Washington School of Medicine. Also reviewed by David Zieve, MD, MHA, Medical Director, A.D.A.M., Inc.

A.D.A.M., Inc. is accredited by URAC, also known as the American Accreditation HealthCare Commission (www.urac.org)