What are adenoids?
Adenoids are the lumps of tissue behind the nose and the palate at the back of the throat. Its job is to generate antibodies to fight various infections.
Are adenoids essential in the body?
No. Your body can fight various infections without them.
Why remove them?
Removal can stop the inflammation in the ear and improve hearing. Some children have huge adenoids which can block breathing during sleep.
Does intervention always work?
No. It helps about 80% of patients with glue ear and earache and certainly an even higher percentage in babies that stop breathing.
How is the operation performed?
The patient attends hospital the morning of surgery as an inpatient, once admitted they are taken to the anaesthetic room where they will be made to sleep, once in theatre, the adenoids are removed through the mouth, it takes approximately 30 minutes.
How long will you stay in the hospital?
Usually you go home the same day or the day after the operation if you feel well enough.
What problems might I have after surgery?
The adenoidectomy surgery is very safe. However, every operation has a small risk. The most common problem is bleeding. It happens about one in a hundred cases and can usually be treated in the office. Very rarely you may need to go back for further surgery to stop it. During surgery, there is small chance of damaging a tooth, especially if it is loose, capped or crowned. Sometimes in children food may come back out of the nose, but this last for just a short time and then subsides.