The study on 54,696 patients shows that tonsil surgery provides very effective symptom relief!

The newest study by members of the National Tonsil Surgery Register in Sweden analyzed data from 54,696 patients operated with tonsil surgery (tonsillectomy) between 1997-2008. The purpose of this study was to analyze symptom relief 6 months after tonsil surgery in relation to age, indication, surgical procedure, complications and unplanned postoperative visits.

Tonsillectomy is a procedure in which palatine tonsils (part of our immune system) are surgically removed from the throat. This procedure is performed in response to repeated episodes of acute throat infections, snoring, obstructive sleep apnea (interruptions of breathing during sleep caused by partial or total blockage of the airway), or peritonsillar abscess (a.k.a. quinsy - collection of pus beside the tonsil).

In described study by Swedish authors, the most common indications for surgery were obstruction (49.7%), followed by recurrent bouts of throat infections (35.2%). The main outcome measure was the patient (or parent) reported symptom relief 6 months postoperatively.

Results of the study were that - for all indications - the symptom improvement was very high (92%)! This was defined as the patient reporting ‘my symptoms are gone’ or ‘my symptoms are almost gone’. The symptom improvement was the highest for patients operated on the indication peritonsillitis (more than 98%). The indications of obstruction, recurrent tonsillitis or chronic tonsillitis also reported a high degree (more than 96%) of symptom relief.

Tonsillectomy is one of the top 3 most common surgical procedures performed in children, and one of the top 10 surgical procedures performed in total population, with estimated annual incidence of 650 per 100,000 people. With such a high numbers of children and adults undergoing tonsillectomy, this study is valuable support to this procedure showing that operated patients report a high degree of symptom relief 6 months after surgery!

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REFERENCE:

Stalfors J, Ericsson E, Hemlin C, Hultcrantz E, Månsson I, Roos K, Hessén Söderman AC. Tonsil surgery efficiently relieves symptoms: analysis of 54696 patients in the National Tonsil Surgery Register in Sweden. ACTA OTO-LARYNGOLOGICA 2012;132(5):533-9.