Tonsillectomy New Vistas

Abstract

History of tonsillectomy dates back to nearly 2000 years. It was Celsius who first\ud described the procedure in the first century A.D. The potentials for complications after this surgical\ud procedure are still very high despite the advancements in technology. There is still no consensus\ud between the otolaryngologists regarding the safest operating technique which is not attended by any of\ud the classic post operative complications described after tonsillectomy.\ud None of the evaluated procedures has clearly shown that post operative pain could be minimized. The\ud cause for post operative pain following tonsillectomy is due to disruption with exposure of underlying\ud nerve endings (glossopharyngeal and vagus), and pharyngeal constrictor muscle fibres. Postoperatively\ud exposed to external elements the exposed muscle fibres undergo spasm causing pain while swallowing.\ud Any newer surgical technique should address this aspect of inflammation involving the pharyngeal\ud constrictor muscles