Endoscopic Adenoidectomy
What are the adenoids?
The adenoids are two small lumps of tissue that lie on either side and at the very back of the throat, where it meets the back of the nose. The tissue that makes up the adenoids is called 'lymphoid tissue', which means that it contains white blood cells of the immune system. In childhood the adenoids are probably useful in developing immunity against infections; however, later on, and certainly in adult life, it is unlikely that they play any role in maintaining health and they usually shrink until they disappear.
What is an adenoidectomy?
Between the ages of two and six years old, the adenoids can often swell up and become inflamed (possibly due to a viral infection). This can make it difficult to breath, especially when asleep. Swollen adenoids can also block the eustachian tube, a tube that connects the back of the throat to the middle part of the ear. Blockage of the eustachian tube can lead to a condition called 'secretory otitis media' or, more commonly, 'glue ear'. This reduces the child’s hearing until the blockage is relieved. The operation performed to remove adenoids is called an adenoidectomy.
Swollen adenoids are often associated with tonsillitis (infected tonsils) and are usually removed as part of an operation to remove the tonsils.
The operation is performed by an ENT (ear, nose and throat) surgeon. It is always performed under general anaesthetic, so the child will be asleep during the whole procedure. It is a fairly simple operation. To stop the many blood vessels in and near the adenoids from bleeding, a pack made up of gauze is applied with pressure by the surgeon to the area from where the adenoids are removed. When the bleeding stops the pack is removed and the operation is finished. This is a very important part of the operation and the child is not usually allowed to wake up until after any bleeding has stopped. On rare occasions, however, the surgeon may leave the pack in for 24 hours after the operation, if the bleeding is prolonged.
Videos Section
In this section you'll find several of the Surgeries that you can take in Ear, Nose and Throat Clinic.
To see instructions about how to download the videos to your computer, Click Here.
Important Notes :
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For more information about this Surgery you can visit the following site:
http://www.entnet.org/healthinfo/throat/tonsils.cfm
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