Tonsillectomy (Tonsil Removal Surgery)

Five courses of antibiotics since the monsoon. A child who snores loudly, stops breathing for a few seconds at a time and wakes up tired and cranky. For adults, it's the throat infection that costs a week off work several times a year, or the abscess beside the tonsil (quinsy) that had to be drained.

Tonsillectomy removes both tonsils, the two pads of lymph tissue on either side of the back of the throat. The surgeon works entirely through the open mouth, so there's no cut on the skin. Each tonsil is separated from the muscle it sits on and lifted out, and the bleeding points are sealed. In children with blocked breathing, the adenoids higher up behind the nose are often removed under the same anaesthetic.

The operation is short. Recovery is the harder part: the throat stays properly sore for 7 to 10 days, and adults usually find it tougher than children do. For the right patient it's worth it. Throat infections become far less frequent, and children whose tonsils were blocking their airway at night usually sleep quietly again, with better mood and concentration during the day.

At Prakash Hospital, tonsillectomy for recurrent tonsillitis is done by our ENT department for children and adults. We suggest it only when infections are frequent and severe enough to justify it, and we check the adenoids at the same visit, because the two problems often go together.

Tonsils are removed for two main reasons: infections that keep coming back despite proper treatment, and tonsils so large they block breathing or swallowing. For infections, surgeons go by how many episodes a doctor has recorded.

For most people, days 3 to 7 are the worst, as white scabs form over the tonsil beds.