When Your Kid Should Go for Tonsil Surgery?

If children are having problems with their chronic throat pain, snoring noses as well as recurring strep throat, it may be time to "pick up the usual suspects." Although the removal of tonsils was once a practice of transit, the American Otolaryngology Academy (AOO) established unique criteria to help physicians of ear, nose and throat decide who the best tonsillectomy candidates were.

According to the AOO, nearly half a million tonsillectomies in the United States are performed annually, making it the third most popular pediatric procedure in the world. The removal of the tonsils tissues — lymph tissues in the throat around the size of a walnut — will significantly increase the quality of life of a child by reducing the experience of throat infections. Therefore, parents are keener to search for pediatric ENT for their kids.

Will You Have to Cut the Tonsils?

What many parents should think of, however, is that the best course of action may be watchful waiting for children with less than seven episode throat infections last year. The AOO has therefore developed a set of guidelines and standards to help ENT doctors determine appropriate treatments for patients around the world. Such recommendations have been developed with a view to constantly improving the quality of patient care on the basis of science and evidence-based practice.

Although all situations are different, parents must ask themselves:

Signs of Severe Infection

The main word is "serious." The following are part of a serious throat infection:

  • 101 or higher temperature

  • Tonsils

  • Strep throat (as medical test confirmed)

A tonsillectomy can be justified in these situations.

Is There Any Sign of Antibiotic Intolerance?

The diagnosis of persistent throat infections may be complicated through an allergy or sensitivity. Antibiotics against a virus may not be effective. No antibiotics can fix any sore throat or respiratory problem caused by a virus.

Condition of the Medical Factors in the Children

Even children with less common serious throat infections can often require a tonsillectomy, depending on the specific case, if they have underlying medical factors.

The condition of PFAPA

PFAPA is synonymous with daily fever, alpha stomatitis, adenitis and pharyngitis. The name for cancer sores is alphthous stomatitis. Pharyngitis is the back of the throat swelling and inflammation. For an infected gland or lymph node, adenitis is another term.

Parents should know that a tonsillectomy does not fix their child's throat problems immediately. Nonetheless, a tonsillectomy best treats some circumstances and those under which there is no statistical difference in tonsillectomy. This is only one explanation why children's ENT doctor, a specialist in ear, nose and throat disease, is so vital. Book an appointment with OKOA for pediatric ENT in OKC.

**Disclaimer: The information on this page is not intended to be a doctor's advice, nor does it create any form of patient-doctor relationship.