What are Tonsils and Adenoids?
Tonsils (tonsil) and adenoids (adenoid) are organs called lymphoid tissue that play a role in the body's immune system. Tonsils are located at the entrance of the pharynx, on both sides of the root of the tongue. Adenoids are located in the upper part of the pharynx, called the nasopharynx, in the back of the nasal cavity.
What are their functions?
Tonsil and adenoid are part of the lymphoid tissue and contain lymphocytes. These lymphocytes produce antibodies that help the body's immune
system. However, the role of tonsils and adenoids in the immune system is not significant and they are often non-functional. The fact that there are no negative immune-related conditions in people who have tonsils and adenoids removed shows this.
What Problems Do They Cause?
Tonsils and adenoids are susceptible to both infections and their size. They can cause some problems.
Although adenoids are mostly a childhood problem, tonsils can cause disease in both children and
adults.
Frequent infections affect the daily life of the patient and require frequent medication. causes
use. However, the most important consequences of infections (inflammations) are that heart valves, joints and
kidneys are at risk.
In addition to infections, the size of tonsils and adenoids also leads to important consequences. Having large tonsils; It causes swallowing, feeding and speech problems. Additionally, food and tissue residues accumulated on the tonsils cause bad breath and poor hygiene. Large adenoid tissue causes, first of all, nasal congestion. It causes patients to sleep with their mouth open and snore. The nose regulates the temperature and humidity of the inhaled air and traps some harmful particles. For this reason, it causes some respiratory problems in mouth-breathing patients. Adenoids also cause the following problems:
- Ventilation disorder in the middle ear and resulting ear collapse, hearing loss and communication disorder. Hearing loss is sometimes at a level that parents cannot notice, but it is often the first reason that brings the patient to the doctor.
- Developmental disorder in the jaw and facial bones.
- Inflammation of the throat (pharyngitis), cough and lower respiratory tract problems due to postnasal drip
- Headache
- Sinusitis
- The 'retarded' appearance due to the facial expression
How is it treated?
Treatment for acute inflammation of the tonsils and adenoids is usually medications. The most common medications are antibiotics,
painkillers and, if allergic factors are considered, antihistamines. Although tonsils and adenoids that do not cause serious problems
and do not cause frequent infections are treated with medications,
sometimes tonsils and adenoids need to be removed.
In Which Situations Should They Be Removed?
Deciding to remove the tonsil and adenoid is sometimes easy, but sometimes it requires following the patient for a certain period of time.
Situations that lead to the decision on surgery are as follows:
Frequent infections. Having: The generally accepted situation is having 3 or
more infections per year in successive years.
Enlargement of the tonsils to the extent that it makes swallowing difficult, even if there is no infection.
Unilateral growth of the tonsillar tissue (a sign of lymphoma or other malignant diseases
Frequent accumulation on the tonsil, which may cause bad breath
Enlargement of adenoid tissue to the extent that it impairs breathing
Causes middle ear inflammation (otitis media) and hearing loss
Frequently causing sinusitis and lower respiratory tract problems.
At What Age Should Surgery Be Performed?
There is no exact age for surgery. The decision is made according to the harm it causes to the patient. The most commonly accepted condition is that the patient must be over 3 years old for tonsil
surgery. Adenoid removal can be done even at the age of 1 year. Many times
waiting for the child to grow up can be harmful to the patient and reduces the success of the treatment.
How is Tonsil and Adenoid Surgery Performed?
Although local anesthesia is sometimes performed for the tonsil, removal of the adenoid tissue requires general anesthesia
br /> requires. Removal of the tonsil is done by removing it together with the surrounding capsule through an appropriate incision. Adenoid
surgery involves scraping the enlarged tissue. The surgery duration is generally short and varies between 30-60 minutes. You usually need to stay in the hospital after the surgery. It is not necessary. Sometimes it may be necessary to stay in the hospital for 1 night, especially due to the risk of bleeding.
What are the Risks and Complications of the Surgery?
Like every surgery, tonsil and adenoid surgeries may have risks and complications. Local
or general anesthesia always carries some risks. However, developments in anesthesia techniques and drugs
reduce this risk day by day. Apart from this, the most common complication is bleeding. Although it can sometimes reach serious dimensions, this
problem is rarely seen with a careful and meticulous study and appropriate follow-up of the patient. Pain is the condition that disturbs the patient the most, especially in adult patients. There is a belief that pharyngitis occurs after surgery. This is a wrong idea. If patients
expect that there will be no sore throat after tonsil removal, they may be mistaken. The current
pharyngitis has nothing to do with the removal of the tonsils. Sometimes infected tonsils even increase pharyngitis.
What Should Be Considered After Surgery?
The most important rules to be followed are related to nutrition. Since there is a higher risk of bleeding, especially in the first 3 days, cold and liquid foods should be chosen. For this reason, foods such as cold milk, soup, fruit juice, pudding,
ice cream are ideal.
Vomiting dark blood on the first day of the surgery is normal and is related to the blood swallowed during the surgery.
However, it is not continuous. New blood that is red in color requires immediate medical attention. Starting from the 4th day, normal food is gradually introduced. The patient's unwillingness to eat anything due to pain causes the pain to continue. Be sure to drink plenty of fluids. It is expected to have a slight fever after the surgery. It usually returns to normal with adequate fluid intake and antipyretic medications. Sometimes patients consult a doctor a few days after the surgery and complain about inflammation in the tonsil area. This
is usually caused by the healing tissue that forms a white covering in that area after the tonsils are removed, misleading the patient
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