Homepage / Ear Nose Throat Surgery / Tonsillectomy
A tonsillectomy operation removes the 2 tonsil glands which are found at the back of the throat. There function is not properly understood but is thought to be related to the immune symptom to fight infections.
Infection caused by either viruses or bacteria can cause tonsils to become red, swollen and painful causing a condition known as tonsillitis. This infection can spread from person to person quickly by touch, saliva through kissing for example or by droplet spread through the air by coughing or sneezing. The incubation period is usually around 2-4 days.
Tonsillitis can develop on its own or with other cold like infections or throat infections such as pharyngitis.
Symptoms can be varied but include some or all of the following;
- reddness and/or swelling of the tonsils
- pain at the back of the throat
- pain on swallowing. In severe instances, this can include an inability to swallow your own saliva
- fever, causing hot or cold spells or feeling sweaty or clammy
- pus on the tonsils. This thick pale material comes from the cracks or crypts of the tonsils and is a sign of infection
- swelling and/or tenderness of the glands (lymph nodes) of the neck
- headaches
- fatigue, lethagry and malaise
- muscular or joint pains
- earache
- foul smelling breath (halitosis)
- furry or coated tongue.
Rarely, in severe cases, one of the compliactions of tonsillitis may develop;
- an abscess behind the tonsil containing pus. This is sometimes called a quinsy or peritonsillar abscess,
- middle ear inflammation or infection called otits media,
- rheumatic fever (very rare in the developed world),
- inflammation and damage to the kidneys (glomerulonephritis),
- blood poisoning (septicaemia).
Tonsillitis is frequently a viral illness similar to the flu virus but a particularly nasty tonsillitis can develop with a condition known as glandular fever (infectious mononucleosis) which tends to affect teenagers and young adults. Bacterial infections can also occur. In developed countries, tonsillitis caused by diphtheria or scarlet fever are very rare.
Treatment usually consists of resting and using paracetamol or ibuprofen to reduce pain, swelling and fever as these infections as with most types of throat infections tend to be viral. Simple antibiotics can be used to good effect in bacterial tonsillitis. However, in patients who suffer recurrent or severe infections, the tonsils may need to be removed. Although this is still a common procedure, it is done much less frequently than in the past as there is a risk of serious bleeding during the procedure and it is thought that the tonsils may have a role in fighting infections.
Tonsillectomies can be done in various ways but essentially involves cutting out the tonsil glands at the back of the throat while at the same time controlling the blood from the blood vessels in the tonsils. A steel blade, disposable instruments, laser or a diathermy device can be used to do the cutting.
Very rarely, in elderly patients, tonsillectomy may be required for cancer of the tonsil glands.
How You Will Feel:
Immediately after the operation, patients usually have throat and jaw pain and sometimes earache also. This pain is usually controlled by pain killers given either by tablets or injections.
Some people fing that drinking and eating afterwards quite difficult. However, both drinking fluids and initially eating soft foods and chewing is usually encouraged as this speeds up the recovery from the operation.
At home, chewing and eating soft foods for the first 1 week following tonsillectomy is continued. During this time, hard or sharp foods should be avoided such as crisps, cornflakes, toast and nuts.
How Long Will you stay in Hospital after your Tonsillectomy?
Single Day In-patient Care
What to do next:
We specialise in providing medical care and surgery abroad. We only work with medical institutions that we have inspected and checked. We offer Tonsillectomy
in both North and South India as well as facilitation on all the other elements in your journey such as flights, accommodation and activities. Our team in India operate as your personal agents while you are in country and is tasked with supporting you in any way you need.
We work with hospitals across the world including France, UK, Canada, India, Pakistan, Malta and Hungary to provide our patients with the most appropriate levels of care and treatment
Click here for our estimated prices for most common surgical procedures around the world. .
We have teams in the UK, India and Pakistan who manage your stay and provide you with support whenever you need it. Please contact us to find out how we can help you. Contact us even if you are at the early stages of considering the possibility of treatment abroad.
Travelling abroad for Tonsillectomy can give you access to top quality health care quickly and cheaply. Our mission is to make your journey absolutely successful - in terms of treatment, in terms of outcomes and in terms of experience. We offer treatment in a wide range of locations including Europe, India and Singapore.
Please feel free to post an enquiry to us at Globe if you are interested in having more details of how this all works and how we might be able to help you. Your information is treated as strictly confidential by us. We ask that you fill in the fields with the red stripes if possible. You can also contact us directly with details from our contact us page.
If you want to speed up the process or have a complex history that is specifically relevant to any further steps: please use our detailed medical questionnaire which includes a range of questions to capture details of your medical history and present condition. Please note that we share these details anonymously with clinical specialists for the purposes of considering your case and advising on a treatment plan. This means that we do not pass on your name or address details until you choose to proceed further with us.