Anginas, vegetations and ear drainage When should I operate?

In the child the tonsillectomy, adenoidectomy, and tympanic drainage they are one of the most frequent interventions in childhood.

Tonsillectomy

The tonsils are a mass of tissue on both sides of the throat. They have a protective and defensive function since they retain harmful bacteria and viruses that enter the throat, and make antibodies that help fight infection. It appears when the tonsils become infected and inflamed. The symptoms are: sore throat and swallowing, fever, and swollen glands in the neck.

Thickened or swollen tonsils are normal in many children.

Tonsillectomy is the surgical procedure that involves removing the tonsils. Each time the tonsils tend to be completely removed. They are totally or partially removed (by laser) if the child has:

• Very common tonsillitis (more than seven a year)
• Swollen tonsils that make it difficult to breathe
• Difficulty eating
• Snoring that could affect your daily activities
• Obstructive sleep apnea (a disorder in which a child stops breathing for several seconds at a time while sleeping because thickened tonsils are partially blocking his airway)

It is a very short intervention, lasts about 20 minutes and general anesthesia is used. The surgeon accesses the tonsils through the child's open mouth, without making any incision in the external skin of the throat. The recovery lasts a week and may bleed. If the bleeding is profuse, it may require another surgical intervention.

If a partial removal (intracapsular tonsillectomy) recovery is faster as it is less painful and bleeds less.

Adenoidectomy

Adenoids, which also help fight infections, are similar to tonsils. They are made up of lymphatic tissue and are found in the space above the soft palate of the mouth (nasopharynx).

Adenoiditis occurs when the adenoids become infected and inflamed. The symptoms of adenoiditis They vary greatly depending on the cause of the infection and can occur suddenly or gradually. The most common are: mouth breathing, snoring, nasal speech, and obstructive sleep apnea.

The reasons for this surgery they are not well defined and many surgeons differ in their views. They are usually operated on when there is significant respiratory distress, bad breath, recurrent otitis or obstructive sleep apnea.

Transtympanic drains

Tympanic drainage is a surgical procedure performed to drain secretions from the middle ear. A tube is inserted into the eardrum that connects the external auditory canal and the middle ear. It is the serosa of repetition.

It is an intervention that is carried out through general anesthesia and it is simple and clean.

After the placement of the drain the child must be put to go to the sea or the pool. In a few months the drain will fall into the outer ear.

Drain placement is indicated when:

• The child has recurrent otitis (more than 3 in a year)
• Persistent pain in the ear
• Hearing loss (more than 3 months due to secretions accumulated in the middle ear
• Presence of tinnitus or noise in the ears or dizziness.