The tonsils are an immune organ with important physiological functions, especially in children, and they have an important protective role for the organism. Arbitrary removal of the tonsils will result in loss of local immune response and even immune surveillance disorders. Therefore, the indications for tonsil surgery must be strictly controlled, and only those tonsils with irreversible inflammation should be considered for surgical treatment.
The indications for surgery include: 1. recurrent acute attacks of chronic tonsillitis or repeated complications of peri-tonsillar abscesses.
2. Excessive tonsillar hypertrophy, which hinders swallowing, breathing and vocal function.
3, Chronic tonsillitis has become a focal point causing lesions in other organs or associated with lesions in adjacent organs.
4.Diphtheria with bacteria, when conservative treatment is ineffective.
5.A variety of benign tonsil tumors can be removed together with tonsils; for malignant tumors, caution should be exercised. At present, the main indications for surgery should be chronic tonsillitis and tonsillar hypertrophy. In the early 20th century, it was proposed to differentiate between tonsils with “disease” (chronic tonsillitis) and tonsils without “disease” (tonsillar hypertrophy). In the former case, all tonsils should be removed, while in the latter case partial removal should be performed.
Traditional tonsil surgery includes tonsil squeezing and tonsil stripping, both of which are performed to completely remove the tonsils bilaterally, which is more suitable for patients with chronic tonsillitis. For children with tonsillar hypertrophy, complete removal of the tonsils may result in loss of local immune response, so partial removal of the tonsils is appropriate and more physiologically desirable.
With the development of science and technology, partial tonsillectomy is possible. It has the advantages of less trauma, less reaction, less bleeding during and after surgery, faster recovery, and less postoperative pain compared to full tonsillectomy. Our medical center has carried out partial tonsillectomy with high-frequency cryosurgery and obtained good results after the operation.