A tonsillectomy is a surgical procedure that removes the tonsils. It is performed under a general anaesthetic, through an open mouth. It is a procedure undertaken commonly for recurring tonsillitis and obstructive sleep apnoea

Whilst there are many methods that surgeons use to remove tonsils, coblation intracapsular tonsillectomy is the method that appears to give the least risks and side effects following surgery.

Following recovery from surgery, children and adults with recurring tonsillitis can expect fewer than 2 sore throat infections in the first year. Nearly all patients report an improvement in their quality of life.

For obstructive sleep apnoea, nearly all children have normalisation of sleep within 6 months and an improvement in the child’s quality of life is reported by nearly all parents.

40,000 tonsillectomies are performed in England each year and nearly all without any serious problems. However, there are a few risks that should be considered before this treatment is chosen.

Mild to moderate throat pain (rated as no worse than the pain experienced in tonsillitis) is experienced after surgery for 7-14 days. This can be easily controlled with regular pain killers.

5% of patients have bleeding from the operated site within the first 12 days following surgery. This would present as spitting out of blood. Whilst alarming to witness, it is rarely serious. All cases should be seen in the local accident and emergency department. Most cases are managed through a night in hospital with antibiotics and gargles. In less than 1% of patients, an urgent operation is needed to stop this bleeding.

Since the surgery is conducted through an open mouth, there are risks of teeth being damaged. This is extremely rare and most relevant for those with wobbly teeth, caps or crowns (which should be mentioned to your surgeon). Temporary tongue soreness and taste disturbance may occur but permanent issues have not been reported.

This is a minor procedure performed under a general anaesthetic in an operating theatre. It is done as a day case which means you/your child will be able to go home later the same day.

You will be expected to avoid food and liquids in the hours before you arrive (you can eat up to 6 hours and drink water up to 2 hours before your arrival to hospital).

You will be checked into a ward and introduced to the nursing team. Your anaesthetist and surgeon will come and meet you before surgery. You will have a chance to ask any final questions at this stage.

A parent will be allowed to bring their child to the theatre area, where anaesthesia will be started. As the child falls asleep the parent will be escorted back to the ward by the nurse.

The surgery will take less than 45 minutes, with another 30 minutes to wake up from the anaesthesia. As the child is starting to wake up a single parent will be allowed to come and see them. Most children are awake, eating and walking around within a few hours and are free to go home once the nurses on the ward are happy.

It is important to establish a healthy and normal diet as soon as possible following tonsillectomy. This will minimise pain, speed recovery and reduce the risk of an infection. Taking regular painkillers like paracetamol (4 times a day) in the first few days after surgery can really help this process.

The discomfort on eating diminishes over a few days before returning back to normal.

Some surgeons advocate 2 weeks off school. However, if coblation tonsillectomy is performed, most children can go back to school after one week of rest.

If bleeding is noted then please attend your local accident and emergency department.