Contents:
- Medical Video: Tonsillectomy & Adenoidectomy | Nucleus Health
- What is adenoidectomy?
- When do I need to undergo adenoidectomy?
- What are the benefits of undergoing adenoidectomy?
Prevention & warning
What should I know before doing an adenoidectomy?- Are there alternatives to surgery?
- What should I do before adenoidectomy?
- What is the process of adenoidectomy?
Your surgeon will remove the adenoids through your child's mouth. The doctor will place a blockage behind the nose until the bleeding stops.
What should I do after adenoidectomy?- What complications can occur?
Medical Video: Tonsillectomy & Adenoidectomy | Nucleus Health
Definition
What is adenoidectomy?
Adenoids are part of a group of lymphatic tissues (such as the glands in the neck or tonsils) that help fight infections from inhaled or ingested germs.
Adenoids enlarge naturally in children around the age of three and usually shrink again at the age of seven. An enlarged thyroid gland can cause a nasal congestion or runny nose and can make your child snore. If your child also has swollen tonsils, they may stop breathing when they are sleeping.
When do I need to undergo adenoidectomy?
When a child's adenoids are too large, they may need to be taken to a hospital. Adenoidectomy is a quick operation to remove the adenoids. It takes around 30 minutes to carry out this surgery and is done in a hospital with an ear, nose and throat (ENT) surgeon.
What are the benefits of undergoing adenoidectomy?
The benefit of adenoidectomy is to relieve a stuffy or runny nose and, for some children, the quality of sleep is better. This operation can also improve the sound quality of your child and can help alleviate the condition of children who suffer from "glue ear" by reducing the risk of collecting fluid in the middle ear.
Prevention & warning
What should I know before doing an adenoidectomy?
This operation has little risk. Lifting adenoids will not put your child at greater risk of infection. The perfect immune system can overcome bacteria and viruses without adenoids.
However, like all surgeries, there is a small risk of complications such as infection, bleeding, runny nose, or allergic reactions to drugs.
There may also be some minor temporary health problems such as sore throat, earache or nasal congestion for several weeks.
It is important for you to know the warnings and precautions before carrying out this operation. If you have questions, consult your doctor for further information and instructions.
Are there alternatives to surgery?
Your doctor may be able to give a steroid nasal spray to treat the symptoms your child is experiencing, starting from a stuffy nose and reducing the size of the adenoids. However, this must be used for a long time and the long-term effects are unknown.
There is no other treatment for adenoids that are enlarged other than to leave it and wait for conditions to get better.
Process
What should I do before adenoidectomy?
A few hours before surgery, your child will need to stop eating and drinking. Your doctor or nurse will tell you when your child has to stop eating and drinking.
What is the process of adenoidectomy?
This operation is carried out under general anesthesia and usually takes about 20 minutes.
Your surgeon will remove the adenoids through your child's mouth. The doctor will place a blockage behind the nose until the bleeding stops.
What should I do after adenoidectomy?
You can immediately accompany your child after the surgery is complete. Your child can go home the same day or the day after.
They will need two school holidays to avoid infection that can cause bleeding.
Most of the children who undergo this operation experience a good recovery.
If you have questions relating to the process of this test, consult your doctor for a better understanding.
Complications
What complications can occur?
- pain
- bleeding
- surgical area infection (wound)
- adenoid tissue grows back
If you have questions about possible complications, please consult your doctor for more information.
Hello Health Group does not provide medical advice, diagnosis or treatment.
