Tonsillectomy complications in children and adults

• Published in: Acta chirurgica Iugoslavica Vol. 60; no. 4; pp. 43 - 46
• Main Authors: Milic, Dejan, Zivic, Ljubica, Jovanovic, Danijela, Milovanovic, Sanjin, Budimcic, Milenko
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: 2013
• ISSN: 0354-950X; 2406-0887
• DOI: 10.2298/ACI1304043M

Tonsilectomy is one of the most commom surgerys, although its number has been
decreasing since seventies. It is consider a routine procedure, but it is not
free of risk and can have numerous complications. Aim of our study is to
determine complications of clasic technique tonsilectomy in general
endotracheal anestesia in children and adults that required intervention.
This is a retrospective study of 2325 tonsilectomies done in the period from
2001 till 2010 at ENT Clinic, Clinical Centre Kragujevac. Out of 2325
tonsilectomies 1935(83%) were done in children, while 390(17%) were done in
adults. In children 1167(60%) were pure adenectomies, while the rest,
768(40%) were tonsilectomies. Complications that required intervention were
present in 1.6% of patients. Bleeding that required revision and hemostasis
in ER has developed in 15(0.6%) patients, 12 (3.07) children and 3 (0.15%)
adults. One child has a severe bleeding after adenectomy which required
posteral tamponade. One adult developed severe bleeding that required ligate
of a.carotis externa. High body temperature and dehidration developed in 23
(1.18%) children which required pediatrian examination. One child developed
appendicitis, and three of them pneumonia. The most common tonsilectomy
complication inadults is bleeding, and in children elevated body temperature
and dehidration.
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