Adenoidectomy for children

Definition

What is an adenoidectomy?

Adenoids are part of a group of lymph tissue (such as glands in the neck or tonsils) that help fight infection from inhaled or ingested germs.

Adenoids enlarge naturally in children around age three and usually shrink again by age seven. Enlarged adenoids can cause a stuffy or runny nose and can make your child snore. If your child also has swollen tonsils, they may be able to stop breathing while they are sleeping.

When a child's adenoids are too large, they may need to be taken to the hospital. Adenoidectomy surgery is a quick operation to remove adenoids. It takes about 30 minutes to perform this surgery and is performed in a hospital with an ear, nose and throat (ENT) surgeon.

The benefits of adenoidectomy are relief of nasal congestion or runny nose and, for some children, better sleep quality. This surgery can also improve the quality of your child's voice and can help relieve the condition of children suffering from "glue ears" by reducing the risk of fluid collection in the middle ear.

Precautions & warnings

What should I know before having an adenoidectomy?

This operation has very few risks. Removing adenoids will not put your child at greater risk of infection. A perfect immune system is able to deal with bacteria and viruses without adenoids.

However, as with all surgeries, there is a small risk of complications such as infection, bleeding, a runny nose, or an allergic reaction to the anesthetic.

There may also be some minor temporary health problems such as sore throat, earache or stuffy nose for several weeks.

It is important that you know the warnings and precautions before performing this operation. If you have any questions, consult your doctor for further information and instructions.

Your doctor may be able to give you a steroid nasal spray to treat the symptoms your child is experiencing, ranging from nasal congestion and reducing the size of the adenoids. However, it must be used for a long time and the long-term effects are not known.

There is no other treatment for an enlarged adenoid other than to leave it alone and wait for the condition to get better.

Process

What should I do before adenoidectomy?

A few hours before surgery, your child will need to stop eating and drinking. The doctor or nurse will tell you when your child needs to stop eating and drinking.

This operation is performed 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 plug in the back of the nose until the bleeding stops.

You can accompany your child immediately after the operation is over. Your child can go home the same day or the day after.

They will need two days off from school to avoid infection that can cause bleeding.

Most of the children who undergo this operation have a good recovery.

If you have questions related to this test process, please 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 any questions about possible complications, please consult your doctor for more information.

Hello Health Group does not provide medical advice, diagnosis or treatment.