An operation which is not trivial, the removal of the tonsils is much less practiced than in the years 2000. It can however make it possible to relieve the patient of frequent angina, especially in the youngest.
Doctor Jimmy Mohamed sheds light on this surgical act in the program "Sans Rendez-vous".
Useful in several cases, especially in children suffering from recurrent angina, the removal of the tonsils is an operation much less performed today than a few years ago.
Relatively short, without real complications, it is however not painless.
In the show
Sans Rendez-vous
, Wednesday, doctor Jimmy Mohamed looks at this surgical act far from trivial.
What are tonsils and what is their function?
They are at the back of the mouth.
They are lymphoid organs, with a role of filter.
But sometimes the filter is too big and too dirty, with repeated infections.
In these cases, we have to get rid of it.
Over time, the tonsils reduce in size because there are fewer and fewer new infections.
So there is less need to stimulate the tonsils.
This is the reason why children are operated on more than adults.
When to operate on the tonsils?
There are two main reasons for justifying an operation.
The first reason concerns repeated tonsillitis, with more than seven tonsillitis in a year.
The tonsils can then be removed.
However, it is necessary to differentiate the types of angina, between episodes of two or three days and tonsillitis which cause a one week absence from school.
It's up to the otolaryngologist (ENT) to decide.
Pharyngitis, which is infection of the pharynx, is also not an indication.
The second reason is sleep apnea.
When the tonsils are too big, they prevent air from passing.
The child can take breathing pauses at night.
By stopping breathing, he therefore has a restless sleep with night sweats.
Upon awakening, he is irritable with possible behavioral disturbances.
This is one of the criteria that lead to the operation of tonsils in children.
>> Find all of Sans rendez-vous in replay and podcast here
How is this operation carried out?
Under general anesthesia.
We were almost at 70,000 operations per year in the 2000s and we now stabilize at 35,000.
It lasts between 30 minutes and an hour.
Depending on age, you can be hospitalized one day and toddlers under 3 can stay a little longer.
This is done on an outpatient basis and the consequences are rather simple.
Are there any complications?
This operation is not trivial.
The main risk is hemorrhagic.
It is estimated at 1% on the first day and often it comes within eight hours of the procedure.
There is a second risk of bleeding which occurs between the 8th and 15th day.
It is estimated between 1 and 3%.
It is very painful after the operation.
The patient is given analgesics and eats ice cream.
Adults who have had the operation usually have very bad memories.