Atonsillectomyis the surgical removal of thetonsils, which are structures in the throat that are meant to help fight infection. You or your child might need to have the tonsils removed if these glands are too large, repeatedly become infected, or if they appear to have a severe infection or malignancy (cancer),
Sometimes a tonsillectomy procedure is combined with anadenoidectomy, which is the surgical removal of the adenoids, another set of glands in the throat.
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Tonsillectomies are most commonly performed during childhood, but adults can have the surgery if the tonsils are causing problems, such as obstruction (blockage) of breathing. Having your tonsils removed is not harmful to your overall health because you do not need to have your tonsils to be healthy.
Do You Need a Tonsillectomy or Adenoidectomy?
Tonsillectomy Surgical Procedure
In most cases, a tonsillectomy is an outpatient procedure, so you can go home on the same day as the surgery. The procedure is performed under general anesthesia, and you would be asleep during the surgery, which is usually completed in less than an hour.
During surgery:
After surgery, the anesthesiologist stops theanesthesia, and you will be able to wake up and recover in a surgical recovery area.
Once you are fully awake and your surgical team confirms that you aren’t having concerning complications, you will be discharged home withinstructions for eating and drinking. Your medical team will make a follow-up appointment for you and provide you with guidance about when to call if you have any post-operative problems.
Can Your Tonsils Grow Back After a Tonsillectomy?
2 SourcesVerywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.Stanford Children’s Health, Lucile Packard Children’s Hospital Stanford.Tonsillectomy and adenoidectomy.Cleveland Clinic.Tonsillectomy: procedure details.Additional ReadingFact Sheet: Tonsillectomy. American Academy of Otolaryngology.
2 Sources
Verywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.Stanford Children’s Health, Lucile Packard Children’s Hospital Stanford.Tonsillectomy and adenoidectomy.Cleveland Clinic.Tonsillectomy: procedure details.Additional ReadingFact Sheet: Tonsillectomy. American Academy of Otolaryngology.
Verywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.
Stanford Children’s Health, Lucile Packard Children’s Hospital Stanford.Tonsillectomy and adenoidectomy.Cleveland Clinic.Tonsillectomy: procedure details.
Stanford Children’s Health, Lucile Packard Children’s Hospital Stanford.Tonsillectomy and adenoidectomy.
Cleveland Clinic.Tonsillectomy: procedure details.
Fact Sheet: Tonsillectomy. American Academy of Otolaryngology.
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