Biomaterial Database

Tonsillectomy and adenoidectomy. 1978

R L Perkin

Tonsillectomy and adenoidectomy is the definitive treatment for chronic tonsillitis and adenoid hypertrophy. It is most important to determine if the patient has chronic tonsillitis--a diagnosis that can only be made between acute attacks when the patient is clinically well. Decisions regarding the need for a tonsillectomy and adenoidectomy should be made only at this time and never during an episode of acute tonsillitis. Frequency of acute attacks should not by itself be the indication for surgery. The family physician who performs tonsillectomy and adenoidectomies has an opportunity to correlate the preoperative and postoperative clinical course of the patient with the findings at the time of surgery. In my experience, patients carefully selected for tonsillectomy and adenoidectomy on the basis of these criteria do benefit from the surgery, and the clinical improvement is sustained in the long-term follow up of these patients.

UI	MeSH Term	Description	Entries
D006984	Hypertrophy	General increase in bulk of a part or organ due to CELL ENLARGEMENT and accumulation of FLUIDS AND SECRETIONS, not due to tumor formation, nor to an increase in the number of cells (HYPERPLASIA).	Hypertrophies
D011182	Postoperative Care	The period of care beginning when the patient is removed from surgery and aimed at meeting the patient's psychological and physical needs directly after surgery. (From Dictionary of Health Services Management, 2d ed)	Care, Postoperative,Postoperative Procedures,Procedures, Postoperative,Postoperative Procedure,Procedure, Postoperative
D011183	Postoperative Complications	Pathologic processes that affect patients after a surgical procedure. They may or may not be related to the disease for which the surgery was done, and they may or may not be direct results of the surgery.	Complication, Postoperative,Complications, Postoperative,Postoperative Complication
D011300	Preoperative Care	Care given during the period prior to undergoing surgery when psychological and physical preparations are made according to the special needs of the individual patient. This period spans the time between admission to the hospital to the time the surgery begins. (From Dictionary of Health Services Management, 2d ed)	Care, Preoperative,Preoperative Procedure,Preoperative Procedures,Procedure, Preoperative,Procedures, Preoperative
D002648	Child	A person 6 to 12 years of age. An individual 2 to 5 years old is CHILD, PRESCHOOL.	Children
D002675	Child, Preschool	A child between the ages of 2 and 5.	Children, Preschool,Preschool Child,Preschool Children
D002908	Chronic Disease	Diseases which have one or more of the following characteristics: they are permanent, leave residual disability, are caused by nonreversible pathological alteration, require special training of the patient for rehabilitation, or may be expected to require a long period of supervision, observation, or care (Dictionary of Health Services Management, 2d ed). For epidemiological studies chronic disease often includes HEART DISEASES; STROKE; CANCER; and diabetes (DIABETES MELLITUS, TYPE 2).	Chronic Condition,Chronic Illness,Chronically Ill,Chronic Conditions,Chronic Diseases,Chronic Illnesses,Condition, Chronic,Disease, Chronic,Illness, Chronic
D005260	Female		Females
D006470	Hemorrhage	Bleeding or escape of blood from a vessel.	Bleeding,Hemorrhages
D006801	Humans	Members of the species Homo sapiens.	Homo sapiens,Man (Taxonomy),Human,Man, Modern,Modern Man