page_title: Tonsillectomy
section_title: Surgical procedure
hierarchical_section_title: Tonsillectomy / Surgical procedure
caption_attribution_description: English: Uvula without tonsils
context_page_description: Tonsillectomy is a surgical procedure in which both palatine tonsils are fully removed from the back of the throat. The procedure is mainly performed for recurrent throat infections and obstructive sleep apnea. For those with frequent throat infections, surgery results in fewer sore throats in the following one to two years, but unclear long term benefits. In children with OSA it results in improved quality of life.
  While generally safe, complications may include bleeding, vomiting, dehydration, trouble eating, and trouble talking. Throat pain typically lasts about one to two weeks after surgery. Bleeding occurs in about 1% within the first day and another 2% after that. Death occurs as a result in 1 out of between 2,360 and 1 in 56,000 procedures. Tonsillectomy does not appear to affect long term immune function.
  Following the surgery ibuprofen and paracetamol may be used to treat postoperative pain. The surgery is often done using metal instruments or electrocautery. The adenoid may also be removed in which case it is known as an "adenotonsillectomy". The partial removal of the tonsils is called a "tonsillotomy", which may be preferred in cases of OSA.
context_section_description: For the past 50 years at least, tonsillectomy has been performed by dissecting the tonsil from its surrounding fascia, a so-called total, or extra-capsular tonsillectomy. Problems including pain and bleeding led to a recent resurgence in interest in sub-total tonsillectomy or tonsillotomy, which was popular 60 to 100 years ago, in an effort to reduce these complications. The generally accepted procedure for 'total' tonsillectomy uses a scalpel and blunt dissection, electrocautery, or diathermy.  Harmonic scalpels or lasers have also been used. Bleeding is stopped with electrocautery, ligation by sutures, and the topical use of thrombin, a protein that induces blood clotting. The most effective surgical approach has not been well studied.
  It is not known whether the benefits of subtotal tonsillectomy in obstructive sleep apnea are enduring. But this is also the case for tonsillectomy for sleep apnea. There have been no randomised controlled trials of long term effectiveness of tonsillectomy for sleep apnea.
caption: Throat some days after a tonsillectomy.
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