Christopher Thomson F.R.A.C.S
Ear, Nose and Throat & Facial Plastic Surgery
Phone: +64 (03) 356 0274

Adenoidectomy

What are adenoids?

Adenoids are collections of lymphoid tissue at the back of the nose. They are not visible through the mouth or the front of the nose. At birth these are usually small but reach their largest size relative to the size of the back of the nose at about 4-5 years of age. Following this they usually spontaneously shrink in size and in most adults are very small. They may cause symptoms if they are excessively enlarged, (snoring, obstructive sleep apnoea and nasal obstruction) or if chronically infected (glue ear, middle ear infection, infected nasal discharge). In some cases, surgery may be advised to remove the adenoids to manage these symptoms. Children requiring re-insertion of tubes (grommets) for recurrent glue ear after extrusion of their first set, are often advised to undergo adenoidectomy, to reduce the rate of recurrence of glue ear following extrusion of the second set of tubes.

What does surgery involve?

Adenoidectomy requires a general anaesthetic and is usually performed as a day case. I use a suction diathermy technique which is very safe, quick and bloodless. The procedure causes minimal postoperative discomfort, typically requiring Panadol only for the first postoperative day. Most children are able to resume normal activities within 24. In the immediate postoperative period, children are encouraged to resume oral intake of food and fluids as soon as possible and are usually discharged 1-2 hours after surgery. Bleeding after surgery is exceedingly rare.

Following discharge patients should contact my rooms to book a follow up visit approximately 6 weeks after surgery.

Click here to view the cost of surgery.

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