What are Adenoids?
The adenoid is a mass of tissue found high in the throat, right behind the nose and needs special instruments in order to see it.
The adenoid is a mass of tissue found high in the throat, right behind the nose and needs special instruments in order to see it.
An adenoidectomy is a surgical procedure involving the removal of swollen or enlarged adenoids.
Certain factors can result in the swelling of adenoids:
Swollen or infected adenoids may cause several problems that range from mild to severe:
The primary methods used to examine adenoids are:
The doctor will ask about your problems of the ear, nose, and throat and examine the head and neck. He will use a small lighted instrument to look into these areas.
Adenoids are checked via nasal optic examination using a flexible endoscope (no pain) to evaluate the upper airway condition of children who are cooperative. A topical anesthetic is applied to the nasal cavity. This procedure is done in the clinic. The examination begins with an assessment of the nasal cavity and its structures up to the nasopharynx with a good view of the auditory tube. Generally, the nasal optic examination is painless and well tolerated by children. Video recording is usually done so that it is possible to review the images and a copy will be given to the patient.
X-ray would be used if the child is uncooperative with the nasal optic examination. This is helpful in determining the size and shape of the adenoids.
They become a liability when they become infected (adenoiditis) or when they grow too large in size (adenoid hypertrophy).
Enlarged adenoids can cause snoring, obstructive sleep apnea, running nose and in some instances hearing problem thus causing nose and throat obstruction to breathing while they are sleeping. Obstructive sleep apnea is when a child briefly stops breathing while sleeping. It often occurs because of a blockage in the airway.
For a better understanding on the implications of enlarged adenoids, please watch my video featured here. I have explained in detail the problem enlarged adenoids (adenoid hypertropy) could have on the child and the risks of not treating this problem.
Adenoid hypertrophy and adenoiditis can cause block nose, hearing loss, snoring, sleep apnea, academic underperformance, and growth retardation in children.
Adenoids should be removed if they cause sleeping or breathing problems. Your doctor may also recommend an adenoidectomy for your child with chronic ear or throat infections that
Adenoids begin to shrink around age 5 to 7 in children, and in most children, they would be almost completely gone by the teenage years.
Some parents will say leave the enlarged adenoids alone until their children “grow out of it.” Yes, in most cases, they will, but based on all the recent studies, there’s plenty of evidence that before they “grow out of it,” there can be potential long-term consequences, including their risk for developing obstructive sleep apnea, growth retardation, blocked and runny nose, sore throat, cough and potentially heart disease and stroke later in life.
The surgery is done under general anaesthesia and this procedure is usually done as a day procedure. This surgery usually takes about 45 minutes. The child needs to fast 4 hours prior to the surgery. No food/drinks/water is allowed.
For a younger child, there will be a shorter fasting period. The operation is done via the oral cavity therefore no incision will be made on the nose or face.
Surgery to remove the adenoids is performed
If the child has fever on the day prior to the surgery date, the doctor should be informed as the surgery might be postponed if the child is found unfit for surgery. It should also be brought to the doctor’s attention if the child has any history or family history of bleeding disorder or has any problem with previous anaesthetic event.
Other than the usual risk of anaesthesia, an adenoidectomy is generally a safe medical procedure and complications are very rare. The outcome is good with many satisfied parents reporting great improvements in concentration, school performances, social skills.
Nonetheless, although rare, some risks of this surgery include bleeding and infection at the site of surgery.
After the surgery, the child might be still sleepy as he/she is still recovering from the general
anesthesia but this effect will wear off after some time. After which, he will be allowed to drink and eat.
Should there be a slight presence of blood in the child’s sputum, this is normal.
Few days after the surgery, the child may experience sore throat and dryness of the mouth but it will slowly improve given sometime when the throat muscles are back to normal. Normal eating habits should resumed and this is greatly encouraged to prevent debris from accumulating and will also aids in the recovery process. Pain killer that has been prescribed to the child must be taken to minimize any throat discomfort and the entire course of antibiotics should be completed.
No, there is no diet restriction post surgery and normal diet is greatly encouraged.
During the first week post surgery, it is encouraged that the child should avoid contact with people suffering from coughs, colds or other infections. Contact with smoking individuals and crowded places should also not be encouraged.
Complete recovery after the procedure will take about 1-2 weeks depends on the immune system of each child.
There are other lymph nodes in the body that would act as defence mechanism. Many studies have shown that children that have their adenoids removed suffer no loss in their immunity to diseases.
Other than the usual risk of anaesthesia, an adenoidectomy is generally a safe medical procedure and complications are very rare. The outcome is good with many satisfied parents reporting great improvements in concentration, school performances, social skills.
Nonetheless, although rare, some risks of this surgery include bleeding and infection at the site of surgery.
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