In the article, we will consider how the removal of adenoids and tonsils in children takes place.
Tonsillitis is a pathological disease that can develop not only in adult patients, but also in children. Tonsillitis can be acute or chronic, and the treatment of such a disease involves the use of surgical or conservative methods. In some cases, it becomes necessary to completely remove the tonsils from the child, since otherwise the body is exposed to negative consequences.
Tonsillectomy
The process of removing tonsils from a child in medical practice is called tonsillectomy. It may involve the removal of part of the tonsils and all of their tissue. Essentially, the tonsils are a collection of lymphoid tissue and an important organ of the immune system.
Immune system in childhoodis considered untenable, and, accordingly, it is not able to prevent various attacks of pathogens and infections.
An infection that is transmitted through the air and enters the body, first of all gets into the tonsils. Through the tonsils, the immune system gets acquainted with the pathogenic microorganism, after which the body forms an appropriate immune response.
In childhood, the tonsils become inflamed most often, as they are constantly attacked by pathogenic bacteria. In this regard, children often develop sore throats.
If you remove the tonsils from a child, then infectious agents will immediately enter the respiratory tract. The child will no longer suffer from the occurrence of angina, but the risk of pharyngitis, bronchitis, laryngitis will increase. Therefore, tonsillectomy is not always indicated for children.
On the other hand, chronic tonsillitis can greatly aggravate the situation and independently become the cause of the development of the inflammatory process in the child's body.
Indications for tonsillectomy
Removing a child's tonsils through surgery may be recommended in several cases:
- When the increase and swelling of the tonsils occurs to such a size that they begin to interfere with the normal process of breathing. Such an increase can provoke apnea - the cessation of respiratory activity for several minutes during sleep, or hypoxia - a lack of oxygen in the organs and tissues of the body.
- Occurrence in a childcomplications from several sore throats that spread to the kidneys, joints and heart.
- Frequent occurrence of sore throats in a child - more than three times a year.
Affected tonsils are a breeding ground for the accumulation of pathogens, in this regard, there is a likelihood of complications in the heart and joints. The most dangerous complication for children is rheumatism, which affects the synovial fluid and disrupts the functioning of the heart.
Types of tonsillectomy
Previously, removing a child's tonsils was only possible using a special wire loop, but those days are long gone. To date, there are a number of more bloodless and gentle methods that allow you to remove the tonsils in children and at the same time minimally injure the body. In addition, such methods involve a rather short period of rehabilitation for the patient.
Currently, in addition to traditional microdebrider removal and wire loop, there are the following tonsillectomy methods:
- Electrically removed. This technique in the medical practice of tonsillectomy is quite rare.
- Removal by freezing. Cryodestruction of the tonsils is the most gentle method. This method involves the usual freezing of the tonsils, resulting in the cessation of their functioning.
- Removal by exposure to high-frequency ultrasonic waves. Under their influence,destruction of lymphoid tissues. Experts call this operation an ultrasonic tonsillectomy.
- Removal using a laser beam. When using a laser beam, it is possible to remove the affected areas of the tonsils almost bloodlessly. This feature is due to the fact that under the influence of a laser, the released blood is baked almost immediately. This technique is loyal and preferred along with others, however, its use is contraindicated for tonsillectomy in children under 5 years old.
The expediency of using this or that operation to remove the tonsils in children should be determined by a specialist who determines the age of the patient, the impact of the tonsils on the general condition of the body, the degree of their damage.
Anesthesia for tonsillectomy
The operation and the type of anesthesia used is the most important issue in the planning stages of a tonsillectomy. The procedure itself is uncomplicated, taking less than an hour and essentially no general anesthesia is required.
Local anesthesia
Tonsillectomy is allowed using local anesthesia, but the child must be immobile throughout the procedure. Most of the time, this is a difficult task. In some cases, doctors suggest the use of special limb position fixators. This allows you to limit the mobility of the child during the procedure to remove the tonsils.
However, the use of such methods can only aggravatepsychological state of a small patient and lead to difficulties during preparation for surgery. In this regard, the use of general mask or inhalation anesthesia is often preferred. It must be carried out by a qualified anesthetist.
Reviews on the removal of adenoids and tonsils in children will be presented below.
Tonsillectomy
Special preparation before the operation is not required. It is only important to listen to the doctor's advice on what foods to eat before surgery.
At the very beginning, the child is given mask anesthesia. Anesthesia acts in such a way that the child's nervous system is put to sleep, and consciousness is turned off. Thus, the child does not feel pain during the operation.
After that, the surgeon removes the tonsils (one, both, part of one tonsil). As a rule, doctors try to preserve intact lymphoid tissues.
After manipulation, the child is placed in the recovery room after surgery, where he comes out of anesthesia and returns to a conscious state.
Operation duration
The duration of the surgical intervention will depend on which method of tonsillectomy the doctor has chosen. Surgical removal of the tonsils takes about an hour, using a laser beam - an average of half an hour, and cryodestruction lasts only a couple of minutes.
How quickly does a child's he alth recover after tonsil removal?
Rehabilitation after tonsillectomy
The duration of the rehabilitation period will depend on the method used to remove the tonsils.
- In the first days after the procedure, the child must be in the hospital and under the close supervision of a doctor who will control the healing process of the wound surface and the reaction of the child's body. If any complications are identified, appropriate therapy should be given to the small patient.
- If the removal of the tonsils was performed by cryodestruction or using a laser beam, then there is no need for hospital rehabilitation. The child can return home immediately after regaining consciousness.
- Swelling and pain syndromes can disturb the child up to a week after the operation. Completely uncomfortable sensations disappear after three weeks from the moment of surgical manipulation. During the first day, a whitish crust or plaque forms on the wound surface. This indicates that the tissue is healing normally.
- Specialists recommend following a sparing diet in the postoperative period. You should also not strain and tear your vocal cords - laugh, sing, shout loudly. It is necessary to remove coarse food from the child's diet and not give him excessively hot or cold dishes - all food should be moderately warm.
- It is forbidden to eat spicy, pickled and heavily s alted foods.
What is the risk of removing adenoids and cutting tonsils in children?
Probable consequences after tonsillectomy
Complications that occur after any type of operation are usually classified into two groups - those that arose as a result of medical actions and those that arose due to the negligence of the patient.
- Complications caused by the actions of doctors include probable blood poisoning, bleeding, infection. This happens due to the fact that the instruments used during the operation were poorly disinfected, the doctor was careless or inexperienced.
- The second type of complications most often occurs due to the fact that the patient did not follow the doctor's instructions. It can be eating too cold food, for example, ice cream. As a result, healing slows down, and bleeding is possible.
The consequences of removing tonsils in children can be very serious.
Bleeding can also occur as a result of overexertion of the vocal cords. This is due to the fact that there is a relationship between the tonsils and the vocal cords. Tension of the vocal cords will cause tension in newly healed tissues and vessels.
Reviews about the removal of tonsils in children
Reviews of this abound. This procedure is quite simple, but there is a possibility of complications.
In some cases, the removal of the tonsils cannot be avoided, but sometimes washing the lacunae and disinfecting can do without surgery and save the affected tissue.
People in the reviews write that before agreeing to a tonsillectomy, you need to consult with several specialists, perhaps one of them will offer an effective inflammation therapy that will save the tonsils and do without their removal.
You should not try to treat tonsillitis by using folk recipes, they are not able to replace traditional therapy, and if their use is not agreed with the doctor, then the situation may worsen.
