Tonsillectomy is surgery to remove the tonsils. These glands are at the back of your throat. Often, tonsillectomy is done at the same time as adenoidectomy, surgery to remove the adenoid glands.

Tonsils removal

Your child will be given general anesthesia before surgery. They will be asleep and pain free.

• The surgeon will insert a small tool into your child’s mouth to prop it open.
• The surgeon then cuts or burns away the tonsils. The doctor will control bleeding, and the cuts heal naturally without stitches.

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

The tonsils help protect against infections. But children with large tonsils may have many sore throats and ear infections.

You and your child’s doctor may consider a tonsillectomy if:

• Your child has infections often (seven or more times in 1 year, or five or more times over 2 years).
• Your child misses a lot of school.
• Your child has trouble breathing.
• Your child has abscess or growth on their tonsils.

Images

Tonsillectomy

Throat anatomy

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Tonsillectomy Risks

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)